... Literature: Prose ...
by Infocostarica Staff

Costa Rican prose includes stories, novels, historical chronicles and essays. Since its beginnings, prose in Costa Rica has suffered an evolution that goes along with the social, cultural and political changes that have influenced the nation. Literature has been both a mirror that reflects social change, as well as a cultural tool or creation that has contributed to the formation of the national identity.

Since indigenous texts haven't been found, the origins of Costa Rican literature are always placed in colonial times. During this period, Costa Rican literature limits itself to imitating European models, especially Spanish ones. Before the nineteenth century, one can't really talk of a legitimate Costa Rican literary creation. The 1890's and early 1900's witness the sudden birth of cultural productions that would later become the "classics". Some important authors and their works are: Ricardo Fernandez Guardia's Hojarasca (1894) Carlos Gagini's Chamarasca (1898), Manuel Gonzalez Zeledon's Nochebuena (1895) and Joaquin Garcia Monge's El Moto (1900). The literature of the late nineteenth century is characterized by two different currents: the regional style ("Costumbrismo") and the European Symbolist and Modernist tendencies. These separate styles created an artistic discussion that questioned the essence of what Costa Rican literature should be- Who should be the characters? What should be the setting? What should the language be like? While regional literature celebrated bucolic country life, Modernist works indulged in luxurious European and Asian settings, far from Costa Rican reality. During this time, several historical chronicles were also written.

The period of time from 1900-1920 is characterized by the production of Realist works and by a less idyllic presentation of Costa Rican life. Some important novels and their authors are: El Moto (1900) by Joaquin Garcia Monge, La esfinge del sendero (1914) by Jenaro Cardona and El arbol enfermo (1918) by Carlos Gagini. Furthermore, in 1919, artist Joaquin Garcia Monge founded an extremely important magazine called Repertorio Americano, which claimed that art had a social, educational and revolutionary function. The figure of the happy Costa Rican peasant and of regional customs and celebrations were starting to be replaced by more realistic and even pessimistic portrayals, of a society that was crumbling.

The Realist movement in literature prepared the way for the arrival of a literary style that would be concerned with denouncing social injustices and transmitting revolutionary ideas. Carmen Lyra and Carlos Luis Fallas expose the sufferings of the banana plantation workers, under the stifling grasp of imperialist companies, such as the United Fruit Company in works like: Bananos y hombres (1931) by Lyra and Mamita Yunai (1941) by Fallas. Both authors were active in the socialist and Communist movements in Costa Rica. In Juan Varela (1939) by Adolfo Herrera Garcia, the protagonist, who is a peasant, moves from the countryside to the city, where he only encounters suffering and social decay. Thus, the prose of these years takes on as its mission to paint a realistic and even grim picture of Costa Rican life, in order to insist on a change.

The 1940's represent a time of literary and artistic rupture. Authors like Yolanda Oreamuno begin to explore psychological and hidden dimensions, thus changing the focus of literature from the outside reality to an interior one. Oreamuno's La ruta de su evasion (1949) investigates the feminine psyche in an urban setting, and the problematic relationships in a family. In Cuentos de Angustias y Paisajes (1947), Carlos Salazar Herrera presents short stories set in a rural area, but with psychological and deeper aspects than regional stories. The 1950's and 1960's were a continuation of the tendencies born in the 1940's.

The 1970's and 80's were characterized by the economic crisis and unemployment, but these circumstances didn't give rise to socialist literature, like before. Instead, authors were more interested in exploring a main theme- the identity. Duran Ayanegui, for example, takes on an ambitious mission with Las estirpes de Montanchez (1992) which treats the identity theme from the Conquest to recent times. In Asalto al paraiso (1992), Tatiana Lobo discusses identity as a warzone due to the encounter of Indian and Spanish cultures. Other authors, like Rafael Angel Herra and Fernando Contreras, have very particular styles and themes. Herra explores mystical and philosophical issues in La guerra prodigiosa (1986) and Contreras returns to the social novel by denouncing the sufferings of the poor in Unica mirando al mar (1993); however, Contreras's work can't be classified entirely as a social protest novel, since the language is unique and much more developed.

Costa Rican prose can't be summarized in this or any other article, since it's vast and it's evolution more analysis. However, one can make a vast assumption about it- the rise of Costa Rican prose and literature in general came slowly and late when compared to other countries, but its current state promises abundant creation. In the past few years, art has gone through a renewal and there are many young and promising authors that are producing unique and valuable works. The days of pure imitation are gone.