Rómulo Gallegos
Encyclopedia
Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire (2 August 1884 – 7 April 1969) was a Venezuela
n novelist and politician. For a period of some nine months during 1948, he was the first cleanly elected president in his country's history.
Rómulo Gallegos was born in Caracas
to Rómulo Gallegos Osío and Rita Freire Guruceaga, into a family of humble origin. He began his work as a schoolteacher, writer, and journalist in 1903. His novel Doña Bárbara
was first published 1929, and it was because of the book's criticisms of the regime of longtime dictator Juan Vicente Gómez
that he was forced to flee the country. He took refuge in Spain, where he continued to write: his acclaimed novels Cantaclaro (1934) and Canaima (1935) date from this period.
He returned to Venezuela in 1936 and was appointed Minister of Public Education.
In 1937 he was elected to Congress
and, in 1940–41, served as councillor of Caracas. In 1945, was involved in the coup d'état
that brought Rómulo Betancourt
and the "Revolutionary Government Junta" to power. In 1947 he ran for the presidency of the republic as the Acción Democrática candidate and won in what is generally believed to be the country's first honest election. He took office in February 1948, but officers Carlos Delgado Chalbaud
, Marcos Pérez Jiménez
and Luis Felipe Llovera Páez, threw him out of office in November in the 1948 Venezuelan coup d'état
. He took refuge first in Cuba
and then in Mexico. From 1960 to 1963, he was Commissioner of the newly created Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (created on 18 August 1959), and he was also its first President (1960).
He was able to return to Venezuela in 1958. He was appointed a senator for life
, awarded the National Literature Prize, and elected to the Venezuelan Academy of the Language (the correspondent agency in Venezuela of the Spanish Royal Academy
). He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature
in 1960, largely due to the efforts of Miguel Otero Silva
, and gained widespread support in Latin America, but ultimately lost out to Saint-John Perse
. The Rómulo Gallegos international novel prize
was created in his honor in 1964, with the first award being made in 1967. Rómulo Gallegos Freire died in Caracas on 5 April 1969.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n novelist and politician. For a period of some nine months during 1948, he was the first cleanly elected president in his country's history.
Rómulo Gallegos was born in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
to Rómulo Gallegos Osío and Rita Freire Guruceaga, into a family of humble origin. He began his work as a schoolteacher, writer, and journalist in 1903. His novel Doña Bárbara
Doña Bárbara
Doña Bárbara is a novel by Venezuelan author Rómulo Gallegos, first published in 1929. It was described in 1974 as "possibly the most widely known Latin American novel"....
was first published 1929, and it was because of the book's criticisms of the regime of longtime dictator Juan Vicente Gómez
Juan Vicente Gómez
Juan Vicente Gómez Chacón was a military general and de facto ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He was president on three occasions during this time, and ruled as an unelected military strongman for the rest of the era.-Early years:Gómez was a barely literate cattle herder and...
that he was forced to flee the country. He took refuge in Spain, where he continued to write: his acclaimed novels Cantaclaro (1934) and Canaima (1935) date from this period.
He returned to Venezuela in 1936 and was appointed Minister of Public Education.
In 1937 he was elected to Congress
National Assembly of Venezuela
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of the Venezuelan government. It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who are elected by "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote partly by direct election in state-based voting districts, and partly on a state-based...
and, in 1940–41, served as councillor of Caracas. In 1945, was involved in the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that brought Rómulo Betancourt
Rómulo Betancourt
Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello , known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was President of Venezuela from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964, as well as leader of Accion Democratica, Venezuela's dominant political party in the 20th century...
and the "Revolutionary Government Junta" to power. In 1947 he ran for the presidency of the republic as the Acción Democrática candidate and won in what is generally believed to be the country's first honest election. He took office in February 1948, but officers Carlos Delgado Chalbaud
Carlos Delgado Chalbaud
Carlos Román Delgado Chalbaud Gómez was a Venezuelan career military officer, and as leader of a military junta was President of Venezuela from 1948 to 1950. By 1945 he was a high-ranking officer and was among the leaders of a military coup which brought to power the mass membership party...
, Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was a soldier and Presidents of Venezuela from 1952 to 1958.-Career:Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Táchira State. His father, Juan Pérez Bustamante, was a farmer; his mother, Adela Jiménez, a schoolteacher...
and Luis Felipe Llovera Páez, threw him out of office in November in the 1948 Venezuelan coup d'état
1948 Venezuelan coup d'état
The 1948 Venezuelan coup d'état took place on 27 November 1948, when Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, Marcos Pérez Jiménez and Luis Felipe Llovera Páez overthrew the elected president Rómulo Gallegos. Gallegos had been elected in the Venezuelan presidential election, 1947 and taken office in February 1948...
. He took refuge first in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and then in Mexico. From 1960 to 1963, he was Commissioner of the newly created Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (created on 18 August 1959), and he was also its first President (1960).
He was able to return to Venezuela in 1958. He was appointed a senator for life
Senator for life
A senator for life is a member of the senate or equivalent upper chamber of a legislature who has life tenure. , 7 Italian Senators out of 322, 4 out of the 47 Burundian Senators and all members of the British House of Lords have lifetime tenure...
, awarded the National Literature Prize, and elected to the Venezuelan Academy of the Language (the correspondent agency in Venezuela of the Spanish Royal Academy
Real Academia Española
The Royal Spanish Academy is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, but is affiliated with national language academies in twenty-one other hispanophone nations through the Association of Spanish Language Academies...
). He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
in 1960, largely due to the efforts of Miguel Otero Silva
Miguel Otero Silva
Miguel Otero Silva , was a Venezuelan writer, journalist, humorist and politician. Remaining a figure of great reference in Venezuelan literature, his literary and journalistic works were strictly related to the social and political history of Venezuela.-Life:Born in Barcelona, Anzoátegui State,...
, and gained widespread support in Latin America, but ultimately lost out to Saint-John Perse
Saint-John Perse
Saint-John Perse was a French poet, awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960 "for the soaring flight and evocative imagery of his poetry." He was also a major French diplomat from 1914 to 1940, after which he lived primarily in the USA until 1967.-Biography:Alexis Leger was...
. The Rómulo Gallegos international novel prize
Rómulo Gallegos Prize
The Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize was created on 6 August 1964 by a presidential decree enacted by Venezuelan President Raúl Leoni, in honor of the Venezuelan politician and President Rómulo Gallegos, the author of Doña Bárbara....
was created in his honor in 1964, with the first award being made in 1967. Rómulo Gallegos Freire died in Caracas on 5 April 1969.
Published works
| Venezuelan Presidential election 1947 Venezuelan presidential election, 1947 General elections were held in Venezuela on 14 December 1947. The presidential elections were won by Rómulo Gallegos of Democratic Action, who received 74.3% of the vote, whilst his party won 83 of the 110 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 38 of the 46 seats in the Senate. It was the first... |
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- El último Solar (1920) (alternative title:Reinaldo Solar)
- La trepadora (1925)
- Doña BárbaraDoña BárbaraDoña Bárbara is a novel by Venezuelan author Rómulo Gallegos, first published in 1929. It was described in 1974 as "possibly the most widely known Latin American novel"....
(1929) - Cantaclaro (1934)
- Canaima (1935) (also published in English, 1988 ISBN 0-8061-2119-X)
- Pobre negro (1937)
- El forastero (1942)
- Sobre la misma tierra (1943)
- La rebelión (1946)
- La brizna de paja en el viento (1952)
- Una posición en la vida (1954)
- El último patriota (1957)
Further reading
- Gallegos: Doña Bárbara / Donald Leslie Shaw., 1972
- Rómulo Gallegos: an Oklahoma encounter and the writing of the last novel / Lowell Dunham., 1974
- Nine essays on Rómulo Gallegos / Hugo Rodríguez-Alcalá., 1979
- Three Spanish American novelists a European view / Cyril A Jones., 1967
- Sociopolitical aspects of the novels of Rómulo Gallegos / Earl Leon Cardon., 1962
- The function of symbol in the novels of Rómulo Gallegos / Jeannine Elizabeth Hyde., 1964