Leopoldo Marechal (1900-1970)

Through a gift of Robert O'Grady, the Department of Special Collections currently possesses manuscript verses from the beginning of Leopoldo Marechal's "Introducción a la oda." The work is dedicated to Elbio Fernández, and can be found in Marechal's Obras completas.

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• Biographical Information
• Description of Archival Collection
• Bibliography

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Biographical Information

The son of a mechanic, Leopoldo Marechal was born in Buenos Aires to a modest family. He began his literary career at the young age of twenty-two with the publication of Los aguiluchos, a book of avant-garde poetry that has much in common with the writings of his coworkers at Proa and Martín Fierro. In spite of working on the production of these cutting-edge literary magazines, Marechal always considered himself to be extremely Catholic, and often expressed much more conservative views than his friends.

Predictably, by 1935 the author had left behind the avant-garde aesthetic of his youth, and his poetry reflected a more traditional approach to the idea of transcendentalism.For example, the collection, El laberinto de amor, condemns the growing spirit of individualism in modern society. Marechal's career reached a climax in 1941, when he won Argentina's Premio nacional de poesía. The popularity was short lived, however, as Marechal soon expressed his public support for the Perón dictatorship. His estrangement from the literary community lasted until 1965, when a reprint of his novel, Adán Buenosayres, brought a new wave of attention to his work.

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Description of Archival Collection (MSH/SCL 1204-1)

The Department of Special Collections currently holds a manuscript copy of the beginning of the poem, "Introducción a la oda." This work is dedicated to Elbio Fernández, and can be found in Marechal's Obras completas.

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Bibliography

Aira, César. "Leopoldo Marechal." Diccionario de los autores latinoamericanos. Buenos Aires, Emecé, 2001. p. 340-341. (Hesburgh Library, Reference: PQ 7081.3 .A35 2001)

Marechal, Leopoldo. Obras completas. Buenos Aires: Espasa-Calpe, 1950. (Hesburgh Library, Reference: P 7797.M26 A122 1998)

Maturo, Graciela. "Leopoldo Marechal." Latin American Writers. Ed. Carlos A. Solé. New York: Scribner, 1989. p. 887-895. (Hesburgh Library, Reference: PQ 7081 .A1 L37 1989)

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