Pisarze w roli przywódców narodu. Związki literatury i polityki w krajach hispanoamerykańskich w XIX wieku

Abstract

In Spanish America, the nineteenth-century is a crucial period of time during which national identities developed. In this process of genesis and formation of national consciousness, the intellectual elites of the region playes an important, double role, as political leaders and as writeres. These were men who firmly believed intellectual activity such as writing, to be a civilizing duty at the service of the nation. In deed and in words, they were the creators and architects of future visione for their countries and for the continent; as far as literature is concerned, they gave Spanish America an original literary political discourse. In the midst of increasing anti-hispanic resentment, characteristic of this discurso politico literario was revoking spiritual principles and fomenting emancipatory values. I shall concentrate my attention on three formost personalities that span different instances of nineteenth- century Spanish American history and literature. Simón Bolivar (1783-1830), Domingo Sarmiento (1811-1888) and Josć Marti 1853-1895) differ in biographies, in politicał and literary experiences. They olffer diametrically opposed theories for the modernization of the continent and diiferent, if not diverging attitudes and approaches towards European cultural heritage. They shared, nonetheless, a common vision and had one single aim, the political and cultural unification of the whole continent.