Miguel Otero Silva
Miguel Otero Silva was a prominent Venezuelan writer, journalist, and social activist born on October 26, 1908, in Barcelona, Venezuela. His family moved to Caracas during his childhood, where he witnessed significant political turmoil, particularly under the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez. After engaging in radical political activities, Otero Silva was imprisoned in 1929 and subsequently exiled, which deeply influenced his literary career. Although he did not complete a formal college degree, he became a leading voice in Venezuelan journalism, founding notable newspapers and advocating for social change.
Otero Silva's literary contributions began with poetry, but he gained significant acclaim for his novels, particularly "Casas muertas" (1955), which examines the transition of Venezuela from an agrarian to an industrial society. His writing often featured symbolic names and archetypal characters, reflecting his commitment to social progress. Throughout his life, he received several prestigious awards, including the Lenin Prize for Literature and the Felix Varela Award. Otero Silva's legacy as an innovative poet and novelist is intertwined with his dedication to chronicling the political and social upheavals of his time, establishing a unique literary identity for 20th-century Venezuela. He passed away on August 27, 1985, leaving behind a significant impact on Venezuelan literature and journalism.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Miguel Otero Silva
- Born: October 26, 1908
- Birthplace: Barcelona, Venezuela
- Died: August 27, 1985
- Place of death: Caracas, Venezuela
Biography
Miguel Otero Silva was born in Barcelona, Venezuela, on October 26, 1908, the son of Henrique Otero Vizcarrondo and Mercedes Silva Pérez. The couple would relocate their family to Caracas in Miguel’s sixth year. There the future writer spent the remainder of his childhood and early adult years under the shadow of political oppression.
After completing secondary school at the Liceo Caracas, Otero Silva entered the Universidad Central de Venezuela, where he majored in engineering and engaged in radical activities. He joined the staff of Válvula, an avant-garde literary journal. The group’s interest in new forms of literature was surpassed by their interest in new forms of government. Otero Silva’s involvement in efforts to overthrow the oppressive regime of Dictator Juan Vicente Gómez led to the author’s imprisonment in 1929 and subsequent banishment from Venezuela. Otero Silva’s return to his birth country in 1941 coincided with Venezuela’s first attempt at democracy.
Although his exile kept Otero Silva from completing a formal college degree, he received his license in journalism and began a productive fifteen-year career, writing and publishing articles on Venezuelan politics and society. He founded two daily newspapers: El Morroco y Azul in 1941 and El Nacional in 1943. Respected by his peers, he was elected President of the Venezuelan Association of Journalists.
His first literary publications, Doce poemas rojos (1933) and Agua y cauce (1937) were collections of experimental poetry influenced by his years in prison and in exile. With the publication of his novels in the 1940’s and 1950’s came literary acclaim. Critics note the author’s reliance on symbolic names and archetypal characters, beginning with Fiebre (fever). This 1939 novel features a protagonist named Vidal Rojas (vital red).
Otero Silva’s most celebrated work, Casas muertas (1955) chronicles a Venezuela in transition from an agrarian- based economy centered on village life to an industrial petrol society that saw mass migration to the cities. A novel about the possibility for social progress, it is also a eulogy for a vanishing rural culture. Otero Silva traveled to Italy in 1983 to write what would be his last novel. Based on the life of Christ, La piedra que era Cristo depicted its title character as a social activist. On August 27, 1985, Otero Silva suffered a fatal heart attack; he was survived by two adult children and his second wife, Mercedes Baumester de Otero.
In his lifetime Miguel Otero Silva received numerous literary accolades, including the Premio Nacional de Periodismo (1960) and the Lenin Prize for Literature (1980). He was decreed a member of the Order of Andres Bello (1967), the Order of Fransisco Miranda (1967), and the Order of General Joaquin Crespo (1982). In 1985, he received Cuba’s Felix Varela Award.
An innovative poet, a successful journalist, and a noted novelist, Otero Silva’s passion for, and belief in, social change links his works of fiction and nonfiction. A chronicler of turbulent political times and social upheavals, he is credited with forging a literary identity for twentieth century Venezuela.