Background
Manuel Gonzalez Prada was born on January 6, 1848, in Lima, Peru; the son of a wealthy and conservative family.
(This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)
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(Manuel González Prada was a powerful Peruvian writer and ...)
Manuel González Prada was a powerful Peruvian writer and political reformer whose essays and speeches influenced generations of young radicals. He founded the Party of National Unity in 1891, was linked to the anarchist movement, and served as Director of the National Library from 1912-1914. His writings have had enormous impact on the literary and political life of Peru: taking up the defense of exploited indigenous people, broadsiding the landowning oligarchy, and denouncing the social and political errors of the country. In fact, the radical politics Prada advocated then are still alive and relevant today: Modernization (secularization) of Peru, transformation of a nation through its people, promotion of internationalism (universalism) versus overt patriotism (communitarianism), and condemnation of war. This translation is based on the Obras of González Prada, edited by Luis Alberto Sánchez. It includes essays, speeches and polemical writings drawn from two of Prada's only books of prose published during his lifetime, Paginas Libres and Horas de Lucha, in addition to unpublished manuscripts and works previously printed in newspapers and magazines. His writings are gathered thematically under the subheadings "Peruvian Problems," "Anarchy," and "Philosophical, Literary, and Linguistic Problems."
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Manuel Gonzalez Prada was born on January 6, 1848, in Lima, Peru; the son of a wealthy and conservative family.
A rebellious child from his early years, he ran away from the seminary where he had been placed by his devout mother and began his university career studying German poets. Later he switched to law, the field in which his family wanted him to take a degree, but then made up his mind to become a farmer.
Gonzalez Prada began writing poetry during this period, and in 1871 his verses were included in Jose Domingo Cortes's anthology, America poetica.
In 1879 Gonzalez Prada enlisted for duty in the War of the Pacific (1879 - 1883) between Chile and Peru. When Peru was defeated, he remained in his house during the entire 3 years of Chilean occupation, determined not to lay eyes on the conquerors of his homeland.
After 1883 Gonzalez Prada traveled to Europe and spent some time in Paris, reading and absorbing the ideas of modern German, Italian, and French writers, as well as the theories of the French writers of the Enlightenment and those of many of the positivists.
When Gonzalez Prada returned to Lima, he immediately assumed a prominent place in the vanguard of Peruvian national awareness. Writers and political figures alike caught the contagious fire of his revolutionary fervor.
Gonzalez Prada became the articulate standard-bearer for a new generation of Peruvians who gathered about him.
The principal works of prose published in Gonzalez Prada's lifetime are Paginas libres (1894) and Horas de Jucha (1908).
After his death in 1918, more than half a dozen volumes of his prose writings appeared. His most celebrated collections of poetry are Minusculas (1901), Presbiterianas (1909), and Exoticos (1916). Other important volumes of his poetry are Trozos de vida (1933), Libertarios (1938), and Baladas peruanas (1939).
From 1912 to 1918 he directed the National Library in Lima.
González Prada died in Lima, on July 22, 1918.
(Manuel González Prada was a powerful Peruvian writer and ...)
(This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)
He had been a member of the Civilista Party but left to found with his friends the first Peruvian Radical party (or National Union) (1891).
Gonzalez Prada fought for change and progress and denounced the vestiges of Spanish colonialism. He spoke out eloquently not only against the stagnant aristocratic class from which he had come, but also against the rejection of the Indian as an element of the national character and against the clergy and the ruling military oligarchy, which he viewed as the sources of many of the country's chronic ills.
Quotations: "The decayed and wormeaten tree trunks have already produced their flowers of poisonous fragrance and their bitter-tasting fruits! Let new trees grow and yield new flowers and new fruits! Old men to the tomb, young men to work!"
Quotes from others about the person
"In his writings as much as in his life, Gonzalez Prada demonstrates an innovative and revolutionary spirit that is peculiarly and unmistakably his alone. " - Orlando Gomez-Gil
Gonzalez Prada married a Frenchwoman, Adriana de Verneuil; they had three children, of whom only one, Alfredo, survived.