Ricardo Palma, one of the most representative figures of the romantic style of the Peruvian and Latin American poetry, is also considered one of the best Spanish-speaking writers of the nineteenth century.
This versatile writer with a renovating spirit He was the creator of various works that covered genres as diverse as poetry, essays, chronicles and historical fiction stories. Among his most notable works we find the famous “Peruvian Traditions”, a collection of stories born from the mix of chronicle and creative interpretation of the history of Peru, which we will mention later in this article.
Historical and literary context of Ricardo Palma
Ricardo Palma was born on February 7, 1833 in Lima, Peru, at a time when the winds of independence and the struggles for the emancipation of Latin America strongly impacted the political and social life of the newly formed countries. his work and in his political lifePalma reflects this search to portray Peruvian history through a critical and satirical lens, without ever losing the humorous touch that characterizes his literary style.
Palma began his literary career at a very young age, quickly standing out as a passionate about the history of Peru, but also showing a great interest in the literary forms of romanticism and in figures like Victor Hugo y George Gordon Byron, whose works left a mark on his style. Thanks to this cultural background, Palma developed a literary work that navigated between irony, costumbrismo, and intense social criticism, aspects that mainly stand out in what would become his most famous work: 'Tradiciones Peruanas'.
Peruvian Traditions: Gender and Style
The 'Peruvian Traditions' They are a literary work of great importance not only for Peruvian literature, but for all Hispanic American narrative. They were first published in 1872 and by the time of their last edition in 1910, Palma had published 18 volumes, which compile more than 453 traditions divided into several series. In these stories, Palma mixes oral tradition, historical chronicle and imagination to narrate past episodes of Peru, mainly from the Viceroyalty, but also from pre-Hispanic and independent times.
The modernity of his prose is surprising, as is his ability to find humor even in the most dramatic moments and his sharpness in constructing characters and situations that are part of the Peruvian popular memoryIt is in the Traditions where Palma establishes himself as a chronicler of a past Peru, with stories that take us back to the Inca era as well as to colonial times and the early years of the Republic, but always from a critical and, in many cases, satirical perspective.
Recurring themes in Peruvian traditions
The topics addressed in the Traditions are very broad, covering stories ranging from humorous anecdotes to dark legends. In total, three large thematic groups can be found within the work:
- Inca tales: There are six traditions that tell stories about the Inca Empire, always with a focus on historical and mythological figures. An example of this is 'El Hijo del Sol', where Palma creates a myth around the divine origin of the Incas.
- Viceregal traditions: With 339 stories, it is the most frequent theme in his work. These stories explore all kinds of everyday events in colonial Lima, focusing on the moral decay and politics of the time. In them, Palma does not hesitate to ridicule the Spanish authorities, for example, in his famous tradition 'Don Dimas de la Tijereta'.
- Stories of Emancipation and the Republic: These 43 stories revolve around the events that led Peru to its independence from Spain and the political events during the formation of the Republic. Here, Palma gives us a broad overview of the ambitions, betrayals and utopias of the first republican rulers.
Other works by Ricardo Palma
Throughout his life, Ricardo Palma not only dedicated his pen to 'Traditions'. He also made incursions into other literary genres:
- Poetic works: Published between 1855 and 1895, notable titles include 'Verbos y Gerundios', 'A San Martín' (1890) and 'Pasionarias' (1870).
- Dramas and plays: Among his first works are 'Rodil' (1851), a drama destroyed by the author, and 'El Hijo del Sol' (1849), inspired by the Inca Empire.
- Historical Essays: Palma also explored the historical essay in works such as 'Annals of the Inquisition of Lima' (1863).
- Journalism: Throughout his life he collaborated with national and international magazines and newspapers, as director of 'El Diablo' and 'El Burro' in his early years.
Ricardo Palma and the National Library of Peru
One of Ricardo Palma's great achievements was his work in the reconstruction of the National Library of Peru after its near destruction during the War of the Pacific. In 1884, he was put in charge of the direction of the institution, which had suffered the looting of 10.000 volumes by the invading Chilean troops. Palma, with a meager budget, was in charge of collecting donations of books from abroad, earning him the nickname “The Beggar Librarian”.
As director of the National Library until 1912, Palma turned it into a reference center for the country. His work was not only fundamental to the recovery of lost literary heritage, but also helped to link Peru with scholars and writers from around the world.
That love for books and Ricardo Palma's perseverance leave a legacy that remains alive to this day. In fact, the Ricardo Palma University in Lima is proof of the respect and admiration that the country has for its greatest traditionalist.
Ricardo Palma, beyond his death in 1919, remains a fundamental reference in Hispanic American literature, especially for having created a unique genre such as 'Peruvian Traditions'.