Rubén Darío (1867-1916) of Nicaragua was the leader of the important Latin American literary movement known as Modernism. He is considered by many to be the greatest poet in Latin American literature, and the volume of writings devoted to his work since 1884 is perhaps greater than that on any other writer in the history of Spanish American literature. The celebration in 1967 of the centenary of his birth gave rise to a formidable number of new analyses, increasing the need for the classification and assessment of the many studies. In this book Professor Ellis examines and evaluates the wide range of methods and perspectives available to the reader of Darío's works. He considers the biographical approach, social and political questions, influences and sources, structural analysis (providing three structural studies of his own), and, in an appendix, Darío's own concept of the role of the literary critic. His book is comprehensive both in time and in range, and includes an up-to-date bibliography. This is the first systematic study of the critical works on a Spanish American writer. It is significant not only in its treatment of the work on an individual author, but also as a reflection on and an indication of the trends, methods, and preoccupations of modern appraisals of Latin American writing.

Modernism, Ruben Darío, and the Poetics of Despair presents a detailed study of a neglected facet of Ruben Darío, and in general, of Hispanic Modernism: metaphysical and existential dimensions as preludes to Modernity. Alberto Acereda and J. Rigoberto Guevara approach the life and death issues in Darío works with special emphasis on his poetry. The authors demonstrate how the Nicaraguan poet takes the first steps towards poetic modernity. The tragic component of Darío works are examined in the light of Nineteenth Century philosophy, especially the work of Arthur Schopenhauer. Various thematic proposals are also formulated for the study of the works of Ruben Darío.

Born in Nicaragua, Rubén Darío is known as the consummate leader of the Modernista movement, an esthetic trend that swept the Americas from Mexico to Argentina at the end of the nineteenth century. Seeking a language and a style that would distinguish the newly emergent nations from the old imperial power of Spain, Darío’s writing offered a refreshingly new vision of the world—an artistic sensibility at once cosmopolitan and connected to the rhythms of nature. The first part of this collection presents Darío’s most significant poems in a bilingual format and organized thematically in the way Darío himself envisioned them. The second part is devoted to Darío’s prose, including short stories, fables, profiles, travel writing, reportage, opinion pieces, and letters. A sweeping biographical introduction by distinguished critic Ilan Stavans places Darío in historical and artistic context, not only in Latin America but in world literature. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

This groundbreaking new source of international scope defines the essay as nonfictional prose texts of between one and 50 pages in length. The more than 500 entries by 275 contributors include entries on nationalities, various categories of essays such as generic (such as sermons, aphorisms), individual major works, notable writers, and periodicals that created a market for essays, and particularly famous or significant essays. The preface details the historical development of the essay, and the alphabetically arranged entries usually include biographical sketch, nationality, era, selected writings list, additional readings, and anthologies

First complete English translation of "Songs of Life and Hope "and "The Swan and Other Poetry " by Ruben Dario, one of the greatest poets to emerge from Latin America.

The Concise Encyclopedia includes: all entries on topics and countries, cited by many reviewers as being among the best entries in the book; entries on the 50 leading writers in Latin America from colonial times to the present; and detailed articles on some 50 important works in this literature-those who read and studied in the English-speaking world.