Delmira Agustini
Encyclopedia
Delmira Agustini a Uruguay
an poet, is considered one of the greatest female Latin American poets of the early 20th century.
, the daughter of Italian
immigrants, Agustini was a precocious child. In addition to beginning to write poetry when she was 10 years old, she studied French
, music and painting.
, Leopoldo Lugones
and Rubén Darío
, whom she considered her teacher. Darío compared Agustini to Teresa of Ávila
, stating that Agustini was the only woman writer since the saint to express herself as a woman.
She specialized in the topic of female sexuality during a time when the literary world was dominated by men. Agustini's writing style is best classified in the first phase of modernism
, with themes based on fantasy and exotic subjects.
Eros, god of love, symbolizes eroticism and is the inspiration to Agustini's poems about carnal pleasures. Eros is the protagonist in many of Agustini's literary works. She even dedicated her third book to him titled Los Cálices Vacíos (Empty Chalices) in 1913, which was acclaimed as her entrance into to a new literary movement, "La Vanguardia" (The Vanguard).
Agustini was blue eyed, with light skin and a slender figure. Some might have testified that she looked like an innocent angel. The daughter of a distinguished family, Agustini had all that she needed and was at the same time indulged. This unconditional and overbearing love led her to themes of submission and charm as well as spiritualized erotic imagery.
was finalized on June 5, 1914. A month after that, Reyes fatally shot Agustini twice in the head and afterwards committed suicide. She died in their house in Montevideo
, Uruguay
.
She is buried in the Central Cemetery of Montevideo
.
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an poet, is considered one of the greatest female Latin American poets of the early 20th century.
Background
Born in MontevideoMontevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, the daughter of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
immigrants, Agustini was a precocious child. In addition to beginning to write poetry when she was 10 years old, she studied French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, music and painting.
Writing career
She wrote for the magazine La Alborada (The Dawn). She formed part of the Generation of 1900, along with Julio Herrera y ReissigJulio Herrera y Reissig
Julio Herrera y Reissig, was a Uruguayan poet, playwright and essayist, who began his career during the late Romanticist period and later became an early proponent of Modernism.-Background:...
, Leopoldo Lugones
Leopoldo Lugones
Leopoldo Lugones Argüello was an Argentine writer and journalist.-Early life:Born in Villa de María del Río Seco, a city in Córdoba Province, in Argentina's Catholic heartland, Lugones belonged to a family of landed gentry...
and Rubén Darío
Rubén Darío
Félix Rubén García Sarmiento , known as Rubén Darío, was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-American literary movement known as modernismo that flourished at the end of the 19th century...
, whom she considered her teacher. Darío compared Agustini to Teresa of Ávila
Teresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
, stating that Agustini was the only woman writer since the saint to express herself as a woman.
She specialized in the topic of female sexuality during a time when the literary world was dominated by men. Agustini's writing style is best classified in the first phase of modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
, with themes based on fantasy and exotic subjects.
Eros, god of love, symbolizes eroticism and is the inspiration to Agustini's poems about carnal pleasures. Eros is the protagonist in many of Agustini's literary works. She even dedicated her third book to him titled Los Cálices Vacíos (Empty Chalices) in 1913, which was acclaimed as her entrance into to a new literary movement, "La Vanguardia" (The Vanguard).
Agustini was blue eyed, with light skin and a slender figure. Some might have testified that she looked like an innocent angel. The daughter of a distinguished family, Agustini had all that she needed and was at the same time indulged. This unconditional and overbearing love led her to themes of submission and charm as well as spiritualized erotic imagery.
Personal life and death
She married Enrique Job Reyes on August 14, 1913 but left him a month later. Their divorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
was finalized on June 5, 1914. A month after that, Reyes fatally shot Agustini twice in the head and afterwards committed suicide. She died in their house in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
She is buried in the Central Cemetery of Montevideo
Central Cemetery of Montevideo
The Central Cemetery of Barrio Sur, Montevideo is one of the main cemeteries in Uruguay. It also ranks amongst the most popular in the country, given the fact that most famous Uruguayan people are buried here....
.