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Roberto Arlt

January 01, 1970

Roberto Arlt (April 26, 1900 – July 26, 1942) was an Argentine novelist, storyteller, playwright, journalist and inventor.

Roberto Arlt
Born(1900-04-26)26 April 1900
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died26 July 1942(1942-07-26) (aged 42)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Resting placeAshes scattered in Paraná River
OccupationNovelist, dramatist and journalist
LanguageSpanish
SubjectArgentine literature
SpouseCarmen Antinucci (died in 1940); Elizabeth Shine
ChildrenMirta Electra, Roberto

Biography edit

He was born Roberto Godofredo Christophersen Arlt in South Africa on April 26, 1900. His parents were both immigrants. His father, Karl Arlt, was from Posen (now Poznań in present-day Poland) and his mother was Ekatherine Lobstraibitzer, born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a native of Trieste and Italian speaking. German was the language commonly used at their home. His relationship with his father was stressful, as Karl Arlt was a very severe and austere man, by Arlt's own account. The memory of his oppressive father would appear in several of his writings.[1] For example, Remo Erdosain (a character at least partially based on Arlt's own life) often recalls his abusive father and how little if any support he would give him. After being expelled from school at the age of eight, Arlt became an autodidact and worked at all sorts of different odd jobs before landing a job at a local newspaper: a clerk at a bookstore, apprentice to a tinsmith, painter, mechanic, welder, manager in a brick factory, and dock worker.

His first novel, El juguete rabioso (1926) ("Mad Toy"), was the semi-autobiographical story of Silvio, a dropout who goes through a series of adventures trying to be "somebody." Narrated by Silvio's older self, the novel reflects the energy and chaos of the early 20th century in Buenos Aires. The narrator's literary and sometimes poetic language contrasts sharply with the street-level slang of Mad Toy's many colorful characters.[2]

Arlt's second novel, the popular Los siete locos (The Seven Madmen) was rough, brutal, colloquial, and surreal, a complete break from the polite, middle-class literature more typical of Argentine literature. Los lanzallamas (The Flame-Throwers) was the sequel, and these two novels together are thought by many to be his greatest work. What followed were a series of short stories and plays in which Arlt pursued his vision of bizarre, half-mad, alienated characters pursuing insane quests in a landscape of urban chaos. In 1932 he published El amor brujo.

During his lifetime, however, Arlt was best known for his "Aguafuertes" ("Etchings"), the result of his contributions as a columnist - between 1928 and 1942 - to the Buenos Aires daily "El Mundo". Arlt used these columns to comment, in his characteristically forthright and unpretentious style, on the peculiarities, hypocrisies, strangeness, and beauty of everyday life in Argentina's capital. These articles included occasional exposés of public institutions, such as the juvenile justice system ("Escuela primaria de delincuencia", 26–29 September 1932) or the Public Health System. Some of the "Aguafuertes" were collected in two volumes under the titles Secretos femeninos. Aguafuertes inéditas and Tratado de delincuencia. Aguafuertes inéditas which were edited by Sergio Olguín and published by Ediciones 12 and Página/12 in 1996.

Between March and May 1930, Arlt wrote a series of "Aguafuertes" as a correspondent to "El Mundo" in Rio de Janeiro. In 1935 he spent nearly a year writing as he traveled throughout Spain and North Africa, on the eve of the Spanish Civil War. At the time of his death, Arlt was hoping to be sent to the United States as a correspondent.

Worn out and exhausted after a lifetime of hardships, he died from a stroke on July 26, 1942. His coffin was lowered from his apartment by an operated crane, an ironic end, considering his bizarre stories.

Arlt has been massively influential on Latin American literature, including the 1960s "Boom" generation of writers such as Gabriel García Márquez. "Let's say, modestly, that Arlt is Jesus Christ," propounded Roberto Bolaño.[3] Analogues in English literature are those who avoid literary 'respectability' by writing about the poor, the criminal and the mad: writers like William Burroughs, Iceberg Slim, and Irvine Welsh. Arlt, however, predated all of them. He is widely considered to be one of the founders of the modern Argentine novel; among those contemporary writers who claim to have been influenced by Arlt are Abelardo Castillo, Ricardo Piglia and César Aira. At least two Argentine movies were based on his novels, Los siete locos (1974) and El juguete rabioso (1985). Peter Damian Bellis, an editor of the independent press River Boat Books of Minneapolis, became resolved to make Los siete locos and Los lanzallamas available together in English translation. Although a plan to publish the two closely linked novels in the same volume initially proved unfeasible, The Seven Madmen and The Flamethrowers, respectively translated by Naomi Lindstrom and Larry Riley, appeared simultaneously in July 2018. River Boat's combined edition of both novels eventually appeared in January 2022 under the title Madmen in Revolt.

Novels edit

  • El diario de un morfinómano (1920) (Diary of a Morphimaniac) - (lost)
  • El juguete rabioso (1926) (Mad Toy)
  • Los siete locos (1929) (Seven Madmen)
  • Los lanzallamas (1931) (The Flame-Throwers)
  • El amor brujo (1932) (Bewitching Love)

Plays edit

  • El humillado (1930)
  • 30000 millones (1932)
  • Prueba de amor (1932)
  • Escenas de un grotesco (1934)
  • Saverio el Cruel (1936)
  • El fabricante de fantasmas (1936)
  • La isla desierta (1937)
  • Separación feroz (1938)
  • África (1938)
  • La fiesta del hierro (1940)
  • El desierto entra a la ciudad (1952) (posthumous)
  • La cabeza separada de mi tronco padreeeee (1964) (posthumous)
  • El amor brujo (1971) (posthumous)

Short story collections edit

  • El jorobadito (1933) (The Little Hunchback)
  • El criador de gorilas (1941) (The Gorilla Handler)

Journalism edit

  • Aguafuertes porteñas (1933) (Etchings from Buenos Aires)
  • Aguafuertes españolas (1936) (Etchings from Spain)
  • Nuevas aguafuertes españolas (1960) (New Etchings from Spain)
  • Secretos femeninos. Aguafuertes inéditas (1996) (Female Secrets. Unpublished Etchings)
  • Tratado de delincuencia. Aguafuertes inéditas (1996) (Treatise on Delinquency. Unpublished Etchings)
  • Al margen del cable. Crónicas publicadas en El Nacional, México, 1937-1941 (2003) (On the Margin of Cables. Chronicles Published in El Nacional, México, 1937-1941)

Sources edit

  1. ^ Versényi 2005, p. 29.
  2. ^ Reagan 2016, p. 99.
  3. ^ "The Seven Madmen". New York Review Books. Retrieved 2015-12-16.

References edit

  • Versényi, Adam (2005). Latin American dramatists. First series First series. Vol. 1. Thomson Gale. ISBN 978-0-7876-6842-6.
  • Reagan, Patricia E (2016). Deconstructing paradise: inverted religious symbolism in twentieth-century Latin American literature. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. ISBN 978-1-4985-2471-1.
  • Maronese, Leticia (2007). Sitios de interés cultural de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (1994-2006) = Buenos Aires places of cultural interest. Buenos Aires: Comisión para la Preservación del Patrimonio Histórico Cultural de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. ISBN 9789872370800.

Further reading edit

. Mad Toy, a translation of Roberto Arlt's El juguete rabioso, with Introduction and Notes. Duke UP, 2002. ISBN 0-8223-2940-9. Biography of Roberto Arlt at Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (in Spanish)

External links edit

  •   Media related to Roberto Arlt at Wikimedia Commons
  •   Spanish Wikisource has original text related to this article: Roberto Arlt

January 01, 1970
roberto, arlt, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, june, 2016, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Roberto Arlt news newspapers books scholar JSTOR June 2016 Learn how and when to remove this message Roberto Arlt April 26 1900 July 26 1942 was an Argentine novelist storyteller playwright journalist and inventor Roberto ArltBorn 1900 04 26 26 April 1900Buenos Aires ArgentinaDied26 July 1942 1942 07 26 aged 42 Buenos Aires ArgentinaResting placeAshes scattered in Parana RiverOccupationNovelist dramatist and journalistLanguageSpanishSubjectArgentine literatureSpouseCarmen Antinucci died in 1940 Elizabeth ShineChildrenMirta Electra Roberto Contents 1 Biography 2 Novels 3 Plays 4 Short story collections 5 Journalism 6 Sources 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksBiography editHe was born Roberto Godofredo Christophersen Arlt in South Africa on April 26 1900 His parents were both immigrants His father Karl Arlt was from Posen now Poznan in present day Poland and his mother was Ekatherine Lobstraibitzer born in the Austro Hungarian Empire a native of Trieste and Italian speaking German was the language commonly used at their home His relationship with his father was stressful as Karl Arlt was a very severe and austere man by Arlt s own account The memory of his oppressive father would appear in several of his writings 1 For example Remo Erdosain a character at least partially based on Arlt s own life often recalls his abusive father and how little if any support he would give him After being expelled from school at the age of eight Arlt became an autodidact and worked at all sorts of different odd jobs before landing a job at a local newspaper a clerk at a bookstore apprentice to a tinsmith painter mechanic welder manager in a brick factory and dock worker His first novel El juguete rabioso 1926 Mad Toy was the semi autobiographical story of Silvio a dropout who goes through a series of adventures trying to be somebody Narrated by Silvio s older self the novel reflects the energy and chaos of the early 20th century in Buenos Aires The narrator s literary and sometimes poetic language contrasts sharply with the street level slang of Mad Toy s many colorful characters 2 Arlt s second novel the popular Los siete locos The Seven Madmen was rough brutal colloquial and surreal a complete break from the polite middle class literature more typical of Argentine literature Los lanzallamas The Flame Throwers was the sequel and these two novels together are thought by many to be his greatest work What followed were a series of short stories and plays in which Arlt pursued his vision of bizarre half mad alienated characters pursuing insane quests in a landscape of urban chaos In 1932 he published El amor brujo During his lifetime however Arlt was best known for his Aguafuertes Etchings the result of his contributions as a columnist between 1928 and 1942 to the Buenos Aires daily El Mundo Arlt used these columns to comment in his characteristically forthright and unpretentious style on the peculiarities hypocrisies strangeness and beauty of everyday life in Argentina s capital These articles included occasional exposes of public institutions such as the juvenile justice system Escuela primaria de delincuencia 26 29 September 1932 or the Public Health System Some of the Aguafuertes were collected in two volumes under the titles Secretos femeninos Aguafuertes ineditas and Tratado de delincuencia Aguafuertes ineditas which were edited by Sergio Olguin and published by Ediciones 12 and Pagina 12 in 1996 Between March and May 1930 Arlt wrote a series of Aguafuertes as a correspondent to El Mundo in Rio de Janeiro In 1935 he spent nearly a year writing as he traveled throughout Spain and North Africa on the eve of the Spanish Civil War At the time of his death Arlt was hoping to be sent to the United States as a correspondent Worn out and exhausted after a lifetime of hardships he died from a stroke on July 26 1942 His coffin was lowered from his apartment by an operated crane an ironic end considering his bizarre stories Arlt has been massively influential on Latin American literature including the 1960s Boom generation of writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez Let s say modestly that Arlt is Jesus Christ propounded Roberto Bolano 3 Analogues in English literature are those who avoid literary respectability by writing about the poor the criminal and the mad writers like William Burroughs Iceberg Slim and Irvine Welsh Arlt however predated all of them He is widely considered to be one of the founders of the modern Argentine novel among those contemporary writers who claim to have been influenced by Arlt are Abelardo Castillo Ricardo Piglia and Cesar Aira At least two Argentine movies were based on his novels Los siete locos 1974 and El juguete rabioso 1985 Peter Damian Bellis an editor of the independent press River Boat Books of Minneapolis became resolved to make Los siete locos and Los lanzallamas available together in English translation Although a plan to publish the two closely linked novels in the same volume initially proved unfeasible The Seven Madmen and The Flamethrowers respectively translated by Naomi Lindstrom and Larry Riley appeared simultaneously in July 2018 River Boat s combined edition of both novels eventually appeared in January 2022 under the title Madmen in Revolt Novels editEl diario de un morfinomano 1920 Diary of a Morphimaniac lost El juguete rabioso 1926 Mad Toy Los siete locos 1929 Seven Madmen Los lanzallamas 1931 The Flame Throwers El amor brujo 1932 Bewitching Love Plays editEl humillado 1930 30000 millones 1932 Prueba de amor 1932 Escenas de un grotesco 1934 Saverio el Cruel 1936 El fabricante de fantasmas 1936 La isla desierta 1937 Separacion feroz 1938 Africa 1938 La fiesta del hierro 1940 El desierto entra a la ciudad 1952 posthumous La cabeza separada de mi tronco padreeeee 1964 posthumous El amor brujo 1971 posthumous Short story collections editEl jorobadito 1933 The Little Hunchback El criador de gorilas 1941 The Gorilla Handler Journalism editAguafuertes portenas 1933 Etchings from Buenos Aires Aguafuertes espanolas 1936 Etchings from Spain Nuevas aguafuertes espanolas 1960 New Etchings from Spain Secretos femeninos Aguafuertes ineditas 1996 Female Secrets Unpublished Etchings Tratado de delincuencia Aguafuertes ineditas 1996 Treatise on Delinquency Unpublished Etchings Al margen del cable Cronicas publicadas en El Nacional Mexico 1937 1941 2003 On the Margin of Cables Chronicles Published in El Nacional Mexico 1937 1941 Sources edit Versenyi 2005 p 29 Reagan 2016 p 99 The Seven Madmen New York Review Books Retrieved 2015 12 16 References editVersenyi Adam 2005 Latin American dramatists First series First series Vol 1 Thomson Gale ISBN 978 0 7876 6842 6 Reagan Patricia E 2016 Deconstructing paradise inverted religious symbolism in twentieth century Latin American literature Lanham Maryland Lexington Books ISBN 978 1 4985 2471 1 Maronese Leticia 2007 Sitios de interes cultural de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires 1994 2006 Buenos Aires places of cultural interest Buenos Aires Comision para la Preservacion del Patrimonio Historico Cultural de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires ISBN 9789872370800 Further reading editAynesworth Michele Mckay Mad Toy a translation of Roberto Arlt s El juguete rabioso with Introduction and Notes Duke UP 2002 ISBN 0 8223 2940 9 Biography of Roberto Arlt at Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes in Spanish External links edit nbsp Media related to Roberto Arlt at Wikimedia Commons nbsp Spanish Wikisource has original text related to this article Roberto Arlt Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Roberto Arlt amp oldid 1216640690, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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