Lugones, Leopoldo

Lugones, Leopoldo (lāōpōl`dō lgō`nās), 1874–1938, Argentine poet and man of letters. First an anarchist, then a socialist, finally a fascist, Lugones was a friend of Rubén Darío and the outstanding modernista poet of Argentina. His early volumes (Las montañas de oro [the golden mountains] (1897), Los crepúsculos del jardín [twilights in the garden] (1905), and El lunario sentimental [sentimental almanac] (1909) were influenced by Victor Hugo and Walt Whitman. Later he turned to realism and satire, emphasizing epic and patriotic themes. In his novels and short stories, Lugones ranges from naturalistic explorations of Argentine history (La guerra gaucha, 1905) to literature of the fantastic (Las fuerzas extrañas, 1906). He is also known for works in linguistics and in history (e.g., El imperio jesuítico, 1904). Lugones committed suicide at 63.

Bibliography

See study by G. Kirpatrick (1989).

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Lugones, Leopoldo

(born June 13, 1874, Villa María del Río Seco, Arg.—died Feb. 19, 1938, Buenos Aires) Argentine poet, critic, and cultural ambassador. He initially worked as a journalist but thought of himself primarily as a poet. His early verse, collected in volumes such as Mountains of Gold (1897), reveals his affinity with Modernismo. Later he embraced political conservatism, and his poetry and prose treated national themes in a realistic style. He was director of the National Council of Education from1914 to 1938 and also produced histories of Argentina and studies and translations of classical Greek literature. He strongly influenced such younger writers as Jorge Luis Borges.