Broad and Alien Is the World by Ciro Alegría
"Broad and Alien Is the World" is a novel by Ciro Alegría that explores the struggles of Peru’s indigenous population against the backdrop of social and political turmoil. The narrative reflects Alegría's commitment to the socialist principles of the Acción Popular Revolucionaria Americana party, which he co-founded. The novel is notable for its critical portrayal of the exploitation faced by indigenous communities at the hands of national corporations and government entities, and it sparked international attention upon its release. Unlike previous romanticized depictions of indigenous life, Alegría's work offers a raw and realistic view of rural existence, highlighting the interconnectedness of people and nature within the context of indigenismo, a movement advocating for indigenous rights and identity.
Key characters, such as Rosendo Maquis, serve as representatives of their communities, embodying the fight against land dispossession and advocating for social justice. The narrative unfolds through the lens of Maquis's struggle and the subsequent involvement of his adopted son, Benito Castro, who brings a youthful, revolutionary spirit to the fight. Alegría emphasizes the necessity of political unity among various marginalized groups, suggesting that a comprehensive understanding of their shared history is critical for fostering social change. Ultimately, "Broad and Alien Is the World" serves as a powerful thesis-driven exploration of the complexities of Peruvian society and the quest for justice and dignity among its indigenous peoples.
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Broad and Alien Is the World by Ciro Alegría
First published:El mundo es ancho y ajeno, 1941 (English translation, 1941)
The Work
Broad and Alien Is the World reveals Ciro Alegría’s commitment to the ideological platform of Acción Popular Revolucionaria Americana (American popular revolutionary action), a socialist-oriented political party that he cofounded in 1930. As a result of his political engagement, which included involvement with guerrilla groups, Alegría was forced into exile. The novel openly attacks the violations of the human rights of the indigenous Peruvian population by national corporations and governmental institutions. The novel’s publication caused Peru to become the target of international outcry.
In its open treatment of life among native groups, Alegría’s novel moves away from traditional treatment of the Inca. Peru’s indigenous people were portrayed in previous works as living in the perfect state of natural existence, in the Romantic tradition of the noble savage. Alegría’s realistic descriptions of indigenous rural life are connected to a social movement known as indigenismo. This proindigenous movement encouraged a fuller, more honest understanding of the Peruvian national identity. For them, nature and people are interdependent. The city’s vicious exploitation of nature, the novel implies, may account for various economic and social crises.
Alegría’s novel presents a major character, Rosendo Maquis, mayor of a community of Indians, as a representative of the Incas. Rosendo is wise and hardworking. He is aware of his physical and intellectual limitations but is working toward personal improvement. Considered the intellectual leader of his village, Maquis takes upon himself the task of fighting legally against the local landowner, who has decided to sell to foreign investors the land that is worked by the villagers. The confrontation brings upon Maquis a jail sentence and death resulting from ill treatment during his incarceration.
At a point of desperation, when even natural causes seem to oppose the villagers, Benito Castro, Maquis’ adopted son, who has abandoned the village for city life, returns and takes over his father’s fight. Benito’s youth and socialist ideals oppose the traditional views of the town’s elders, who fear his radical politics. Benito’s preaching to the youth, however, succeeds in promoting an armed rebellion, a political agenda of the Acción Popular Revolucionaria Americana. Although the movement does not resolve the village’s needs, it raises the people’s understanding of the importance of political grouping.
Alegría’s ideological position in his novel is to promote formation of coalitions among various indigenous groups and urban and rural proletariat factions. Alegría sought to produce an anti-imperialist democracy. Such unity among destitute and marginal social classes, he reasoned, was not possible without a historical analysis of the reasons for their differences. As a novel of thesis, Broad and Alien Is the World attempts to provide that analysis by presenting multiple characters who are representative of the Peruvian social structure.
Bibliography
Aldrich, Earl M., Jr. The Modern Short Story in Peru. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1966. Historical survey introducing major writers, styles, and themes of the Peruvian short story of Alegría’s day. Alegría’s short story production is analyzed within the context of the author’s literary contributions.
Early, Eileen. Joy in Exile: Ciro Alegría’s Narrative Art. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1980. Survey of Alegría’s short stories and novels. Traces Alegría’s major literary motifs within the context of Peruvian literature.
Flores, Angel. “Ciro Alegría.” Spanish American Authors: The Twentieth Century. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1992. Surveys Alegría’s production, including bibliographical sources. Written primarily in Spanish. An excellent starting point to Alegría’s works.
Foster, David William, and Virginia Ramos Foster. “Alegría, Ciro.” In Modern Latin American Literature, edited by David William Foster and Virginia Ramos Foster. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1975. Excerpts from critical studies. An excellent starting point to Alegría’s best-known works.
González-Pérez, Armando. Social Protest and Literary Merit in “Huasipungo” and “El mundo es ancho y ajeno.” Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Center for Latin America, 1988. Alegría’s two most well-known novels are analyzed in terms of his ideological views. Alegría is presented as an influential intellectual who participated in social movements that promoted the advancement of the indigenous population.