Leopoldo Lugones
Leopoldo Lugones was an influential Argentine writer born on June 13, 1874, in Villa María, Córdoba. He came from a prosperous family but faced financial difficulties during his adolescence, leading him to pursue a career in literature and politics. Lugones began his literary journey with poetry, publishing his first work in 1893, and gained recognition for his exploration of themes related to eroticism and technology. He became an active socialist before shifting towards more conservative and nationalist ideologies later in his life, including a brief involvement with fascism.
Over his career, he founded literary journals, published significant works such as "Lunario sentimental," and contributed to literary criticism with "El payador." His writings reflect a complex evolution in his political views, particularly his antifeminist sentiments and opposition to socialism and communism. Lugones's literary contributions have had a lasting impact on Argentine literature, with his search for national identity and critique of Modernismo being particularly noted. He passed away on February 18, 1938, leaving behind a legacy that has been recognized by notable figures, including Jorge Luis Borges, who regarded him as the greatest of Argentine writers.
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Leopoldo Lugones
Writer
- Born: June 13, 1874
- Birthplace: Villa María, Córdoba, Argentina
- Died: February 19, 1938
- Place of death: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Biography
Leopoldo Lugones was born on June 13, 1874, to Santiago Lugones and Custodia Argüello in Villa María, Córdoba, Argentina. The son of well-to-do parents, Lugones divided his time among homes in cities and the country. At age twelve, he went to Córdoba to live with his grandmother and to study. The family was hurt financially in an economic crash in 1890, and in 1893, Lugones joined the National Guard.
In the same year, Lugones published his first poem, “Los mundos,” in a newspaper. His poetry was well received in Córdoba. At the same time as his poetic career was budding, Lugones also became a socialist political activist. In 1896, Lugones began working for the postal service in Buenos Aires, where he also pursued his literary career. The poet Rubén Darío was a supporter and mentor. Lugones founded the journal La Montaña in 1897 and also published his first book, Las montañas del oro.
The next ten years were both busy and productive for Lugones. After serving as director of La Revista de Correos (the journal of the postal service), he began working at the National Department of Secondary and Normal Education. He was also active in the Argentine Theophist Society and served as a delegate to the Latin American Scientific Congress in 1901.
Much of Lugones’s early work focuses on themes of the erotic and of technology. His Los crepúsculos del jardín continued this exploration and demonstrates the influence of Modernismo on Lugones. In 1905, Lugones undertook an ambitious project, a nationalist epic called La guerra gaucha in 1905. The project was not entirely successful due to the density of Lugones’s prose style.
In 1909, Lugones published the work that established his reputation as a world-class writer. Lunario sentimental undermines the structure of Modernismo and represents a clear break from his Modernista period. In the following years, Lugones also turned from his early socialist involvement and moved toward fascism, becoming a member of the Círculo Militar in 1908.
Lugones moved to Paris in 1911 as a correspondent for La Nacíon for the next two years. Still involved in Argentine politics, his writing also became increasingly conservative. He returned permanently to Argentina in 1914 and became a librarian of the National Council of Education. In 1916, he published his most important work of literary criticism, El payador In the same year his antifeminist sentiments were made public in his book El problema feminista.
In 1924 gave a speech in Lima, Peru, that once and for all separated him from socialism; and in 1930, he help precipitate a coup that placed General José Uriburu in power. This government proved too liberal for him as well, and he began to examine the role of religion in politics. His writings in his last years were all aimed at defeating socialism and communism. On February 18, 1938, Lugones committed suicide.
Lugones’s achievements as a writer are many. They include his critique of Modernismo and his search for Argentinean identity. Indeed, Jorge Luis Borges (himself an immensely important literary figure) called Lugones the greatest of all Argentinean writers.