The Latin American Boom
During the second half of the twentieth century Latin American literature exploded globally. The works produced during the mid to late 1900s are still enjoyed by readers of many ages, as well as many cultural backgrounds and ethnicities. This boom refers to the literature provided by such important authors as Gabriel García Márquez, Julio Cortazar, Manuel Puig, and many more. Thanks to these literary superstars, through their literature, much of South and Central America were awarded the fame and glory that the countries truly reserved .
The Latin American Boom period began in the 1960s however there is great discrepancy as to which author or novel is responsible for it. Some believe Nobel Prize-winning Guatemalan novelist Miguel Angel Asturias’ novel Men of Maize, released in 1949, was the first. Others feel that Julio Cortazar’s Hopscotch or Vargas Llosa's The Time of the Hero are responsible for this literary period. The first to introduce this sensation may be debatable but why and how are much clearer.
Important historical moments like the Cuban Revolution are partly responsible for the boom. Cold War cultural politics also played a large role in the spread of the works of authors such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Julio Cortazar in the United States during the 1960’s. In Deborah Cohn’s book The Latin American Literary Boom and U.S. Nationalism during the Cold War she explains the phenomenon: Universities, publishers, philanthropic organizations, cultural centers, and authors all coordinated their efforts to bring Latin American literature to a U.S. reading public during this period, when interest in the region was heightened by the Cuban Revolution.
With this infamous boom came the introduction of a new literary genre, magical realism. It can best be described as a genre that incorporates extraordinary and supernatural themes into everyday reality. Magical realism is found in fictional literature and can be
The Latin American Boom period began in the 1960s however there is great discrepancy as to which author or novel is responsible for it. Some believe Nobel Prize-winning Guatemalan novelist Miguel Angel Asturias’ novel Men of Maize, released in 1949, was the first. Others feel that Julio Cortazar’s Hopscotch or Vargas Llosa's The Time of the Hero are responsible for this literary period. The first to introduce this sensation may be debatable but why and how are much clearer.
Important historical moments like the Cuban Revolution are partly responsible for the boom. Cold War cultural politics also played a large role in the spread of the works of authors such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Julio Cortazar in the United States during the 1960’s. In Deborah Cohn’s book The Latin American Literary Boom and U.S. Nationalism during the Cold War she explains the phenomenon: Universities, publishers, philanthropic organizations, cultural centers, and authors all coordinated their efforts to bring Latin American literature to a U.S. reading public during this period, when interest in the region was heightened by the Cuban Revolution.
With this infamous boom came the introduction of a new literary genre, magical realism. It can best be described as a genre that incorporates extraordinary and supernatural themes into everyday reality. Magical realism is found in fictional literature and can be