Memory of Fire Trilogy by Eduardo Galeano
The "Memory of Fire Trilogy" by Eduardo Galeano is a unique literary work that seeks to reinterpret the history of Latin America through a deeply personal and subjective lens. Divided into three volumes—"Genesis," "Faces and Masks," and "Century of the Wind"—the trilogy weaves together historical episodes, myths, and literary elements to create a rich tapestry of the region's past. Galeano's approach challenges traditional narratives, which he perceives as lifeless and biased, by presenting a narrative that emphasizes the voices of the oppressed, including indigenous peoples, women, and the poor.
The trilogy begins with pre-Columbian myths and extends through the colonial period, the struggles for independence, and into the twentieth century, highlighting the cyclical nature of oppression and resistance throughout Latin American history. Each volume is meticulously sourced, drawing from a diverse array of historical documents, literature, and personal accounts, reflecting the complexity of the region's experience. Galeano’s work not only recounts the history of exploitation but also captures the enduring spirit and resilience of its people. His writing advocates for political and social awareness, pushing readers to recognize the potential for change that exists within the rich cultural landscape of Latin America.
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Subject Terms
Memory of Fire Trilogy by Eduardo Galeano
First published:Memoria del fuego I: Los nacimientos, 1982 (Memory of Fire I: Genesis, 1985); Memoria del fuego II: Las caras y las mascaras, 1984 (Memory of Fire II: Faces and Masks, 1987); Memoria del fuego III: El siglo del viento, 1986 (Memory of Fire III: Century of the Wind, 1988)
Type of work: History
Time of work:Genesis, the pre-Columbian period to 1700; Faces and Masks, 1700-1900; Century of the Wind, 1900-1984
Form and Content
Although the trilogy Memory of Fire has been classified as a work of history, it is a supremely personal and subjective history. The author, Eduardo Galeano, makes no claim to being a historian; in fact, he specifically states the contrary. In school, he found history courses to be like visits to a “waxworks” or “the Region of the Dead,” with the past “lifeless, hollow, dumb.” His literary efforts have been a reaction to such a view of history and the desire to make it vital again. The title Memory of Fire reflects the author’s purpose: “to contribute to the rescue of the kidnapped memory of all America, but above all of Latin America, that despised and beloved land.” To preserve this important memory, Galeano wrote a unique series of three books containing short episodes forming a mosaic of the many elements contributing to America’s past.
The format of the trilogy underlines the subjective nature of the work. Although many voices are taken into account, the work reveals one vision, that of the author. It is not an anthology, Galeano maintains, but to classify it as a novel, essay, epic poem, testament, or chronicle is equally difficult—probably because it contains elements of all of these. Every fragment is based on documentary information from a series of sources listed in the back of each volume and referred to by number at the end of the episode involved. The information upon which each fragment is based comes from many types of sources, but the choices of what to include and how to tell what happened reveal Galeano’s own bias. The author recognizes that he is not “neutral” in his reporting; he “takes sides” and the side he takes is clearly that of the oppressed groups, whether Indian, black, poor, or female. Finding traditional textbook history filled with lies and made to serve the function of teaching people to “resign [themselves] with drained consciences to the present,” Galeano presents his history as a vital part of stimulating change, using the repetition of ideas, episodes, and motifs so that the three volumes form one vision of the rich Latin American tradition as well as the history of exploitation of people and natural resources.
Genesis, the first volume of the trilogy, is divided into two parts: “First Voices” and “Old New World.” The “First Voices” are Indian myths of pre-Columbian America, starting appropriately with a creation myth and ending with a prophesy of the “rule of greed.” In between, the harmonious relationship of the Indian with nature is given a full range of expression through stories of many different tribes. As the section closes, a tale called “Authority” introduces a recurring theme, that the power of one group over another (in this case, men over women) is often based on a lie, which is passed from one generation to the next. In this way, he suggests, the rule of master over servant is maintained, once violence and murder have established it. Galeano then introduces three sections titled “Dangers,” “The Spider Web,” and “The Prophet” in which the arrival of the Europeans is foretold: “Men wearing clothes shall come, dominate, and kill.” In contrast to the domination to come, the pre-Columbian Indians’ life resembles Paradise.
The remainder of Genesis is a series of historical moments starting in 1492 on board Christopher Columbus’ ship and ending in 1700 at the deathbed of Charles II. Each episode, whether focusing on a specific incident or an individual, has a heading with the year and location in addition to a title. Galeano consults various sources for his information and occasionally interpolates literal transcriptions which appear in italics.
Faces and Masks continues the same format as the second part of Genesis. This volume begins with an entry titled “Promise of America”—the search for paradise which the land of America stimulated in Indians as well as in the conquistadores— and ends with a second prophecy, speaking of the end of greed through struggle and the establishment of freedom. Historically, however, this book covers 1701 through 1900, the period of the wars of independence, and contains an almost overwhelming amount of violence and betrayal, which the positive tone of the final section cannot counterbalance.
Century of the Wind picks up at the beginning of the twentieth century. “The World Goes On,” as the title notes, in spite of the belief of many that the world would end at midnight on the last day of 1899. Galeano traces modern developments in Latin America and its relations with the United States. Freedom is crushed repeatedly, but each time there is new rebellion. Galeano traces the present-day cycle through many turns and ends on the positive note of the irresistible life force, symbolized here by the “Maypole fiesta” and the “tree of life.” As with the second volume, Galeano reaffirms the positive despite the horrors presented in the historical chronicle of this period.
The sum of the books of this trilogy is a mixed composition drawn from mythology, literature, historical accounts, newspapers, and other varied sources. The sheer number of sources—227 for Genesis, 361 for Faces and Masks, and 475 for Century of the Wind—shows the volume of material which went into creating this mosaic, intended to represent the whole of Latin American history and experience.
Critical Context
Modern Latin American history has often seemed to the outside world like an unending series of dictatorships, atrocities, and economic problems. Galeano’s work attempts to balance that view with a vision of the dormant potential inherent in the people. For the Latin American, he gives expression to the turbulent history of the region, while at the same time he allows the outsider an insight into the many fragments which make up the Latin American experience. He reminds the reader of a rich culture outside that of Europe, which, although so greatly influenced by European civilization, has its own unique characteristics.
Eduardo Galeano’s work stresses political and social questions which result from economic problems and the brutality of dictatorships. Politically engaged, he admires the heroic individuals who fight against oppression and uses his work to plead for solidarity against those who abuse power. His sympathies lie with the poor, and he sees in socialism a continuation of the Indian custom of common property, which he finds so admirable compared to the greed of big business and wealthy landowners. For expressing such opinions, he spent many years in exile. He finally returned to his homeland of Uruguay in 1984.
As a journalist, he contributed to El Sol, a socialist weekly, and was editor of Marcha and Epoca. His first international recognition came from his book Las venas abiertas de America Latina (1971; Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of the Continent, 1973), which discusses the problem of underdevelopment in Latin America. From his collection of stories to his important novels, La cancion de nosotros (1975; our song) and Dias y noches de amor y de guerra (1978; Days and Nights of Love and War, 1983), Galeano writes in the tradition of recent Uruguayan fiction, which attempts to deal with the harsh realities of dictatorship and economic crisis along with the political movements demanding change. With Memory of Fire, he writes an epic view of the history of Latin America, showing the destructive forces in the clash of traditions which produced it and in the division between rich and poor which still dominates it. Bringing together history, literature, mythology—in fact, fragments of everything he finds significant—he produces a kaleidoscope of impressions, joined together through repeated themes and by the author’s own desire to keep alive the memory of the past whose influence continues to be felt as Latin America forges its future.
Bibliography
Broderick, Thomas. “Eduardo Galeano: Memory of Fire: Genesis,” in The Review of Contemporary Fiction. VI (Fall, 1986), p. 144.
Christ, Ronald. “Dramas That Scorch: Memory of Fire: I. Genesis,” in The New York Times Book Review. XC (October 27, 1985), p. 22.
Conant, Oliver. Review of Memory of Fire: Faces and Masks in The New York Times Book Review. XCII (March 1, 1987), p. 20.
Franco, Jean. “The Raw and the Cooked,” in The Nation. CCXLIV (February 14, 1987), pp. 183-184.
McMurray, George R. Spanish American Writing Since 1941: A Critical Survey, 1986.
The New Yorker. “Eduardo Galeano.” LXII (July 28, 1986), pp. 18-20.
Staggs, Sam. “Eduardo Galeano: In His Trilogy Memory of Fire, the Uruguayan Writer Attempts to Portray ‘The Masked History’ of America,” in Publishers Weekly. CCXXXIII (June 3, 1988), pp. 64-65.