The Andes Group Inc. - Networking - Australia & Latin America

Dennis Castillo

Dennis Castillo Vice- President	I am a founder member of the Andes Group Inc. As vice-president of the Group I have varied responsibilities in the organisation. The closest to my heart is Spanish and Latin America culture. I dedicate this page to stories, poems and poetry and I will include some comments about Spanish literature. You will also find some cultural links and reader contributions. My main contribution lies in the dissemination of the culture and customs of the Spanish speaking countries. As Vice- president I provide general support to all the other activities of this non-profit organisation. If you want to see your own Spanish work published in this page you can send it to me to dcastillo_98@yahoo.com In this way we can make the page more open and interesting. A new work will be presented every month. This will be restricted to poems and poetry.
Interests and Qualifications	I have degree in commerce (accounting and sales) with experience in Chile and Australia. My personal interests are mainly poetry, theatre and literature. I spend my spare time reading, and play bowls and chess. I also find time to write some poetry. Two of my poems will appear in a Spanish compilation named "Over the Horizon" that will be published in Australia in August 1998 in English and Spanish. Details will be provided in this page below.
The Spanish Literature	Spanish Literature is the most varied of all European literature. The poetry, prose and drama of Spain are notable mainly for their realism, colour and humour. Inspired by their exuberant geography the poets and authors of Spain have contributed an incredible number of works to the world. The most famous are Don Quixote de la Mancha, The Cid Campeador and the Works of Machado. Among the Masters of the Spanish Literature from 1100's are Juan Ruiz (1283-1350), Miguel de Servantes (1547-1616) with Don Quixote (1140), Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600-1681)), Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936), Federico Garcias Lorca (1898,1936), Antonio Machado (1875-1939), Jose Maria Ruiz (1874-1967) and Alfonso Paso (1926-1978).
Latin American Literature	Latin-American Literature has developed its own style. Since colonial times people have expressed their feelings in prose and poetry, love for their motherland and their protests on injustice. It began in the colonial period with Hernando Cortés who wrote a report to King Charles I of Spain, *Five Letters, (1519-1526),. Alfonzo de Ercilla y Zúniga wrote an epic poem, La Araucana* (1569,1578,1589), describing how the Araucanian Indians of Chile heroically resisted the Spanish invaders. The wars of independence revived the epic tone of Spanish American Literature with Jose Olmedo de Ecuador, Song a Bolívar (1825), and the patriotic Jose Martí from Cuba, Simple Verses (1891). The romanticists. The romanticists deal mainly with nature, folklore and the common people. The most important are: Esteban Echeverría from Argentina and the Gaucho literature with Jose Hernandez also from Argentina, in *Martín Fierro* (1872), Jorge Isaac from Colombia, Juan León Mera of Ecuador (1888), Juan Zorrilla de San Martín of Uruguay. Among the romantics are: Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and José Mármol from Argentina in Civilization and Barbarism (1845) and Amalia (1851) respectively. Alberto Bless Gana of Chile wrote During the Reconquista (1897), describing Chile's fight for independence. The Modernists are represented by Jose Asunción Silva de Colombia, Ruben Darío de Nicaragua, Ricardo Jaime Freire of Bolivia , Julio Herrera of Uruguay , Leopoldo Lugones de Argentina and Amado Nervo de México. Among the women are Delmira Agustini and Juana de Ibarburú de Uruguay, Alfonsina Storni of Argentina and Gabriela Mistral of Chile. *Recent Developments. From Argentina Jorge Luis Borge, Julio Cortazar and Ernesto Sabato wrote *The Tunnel,** a story of frustration and madness. The Chilean, Manuel Rojas created a vivid gallery of characters in Son of a Thief (1951). Carlos Fuentes in *Terra Nostra* (1976) and Juan Rulfo in **Fantasy and Pedro Páramo**, both from México. The most famous authors in the 1950's and 1960's were Gabriel Garcías Márquez of Colombia and Mario Vargas Llosa of Perú.
Latin-American Nobel Prize for Literature Chile Gabriela Mistral Pablo Neruda Peru Mario Vargas Llosa	In 1945, Gabriela Mistral become the first Latin-American writer to earn the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1971, Pablo Neruda worn the Nobel Prize. Since 1970 are new group of writers has emerged in Latin America among them is Isabel Allende with The House of Spirits, Cuentos of Eva Luna, and many others. Vargas Llosa has written two highly praised novels. The City of the Dogs (1962), an autobiographical account of life in a military academy and the Green House set in the Peruvian jungle.
	Over the Horizon, is a compilation of Spanish poetry written by Australian residents put together by the author Silvia Cuevas Morales, resident of Melbourne, Australia. The Selection Committee was formed by Dr Lilit Thwaites, Head of Spanish Department, La Trobe University, Leticia Worley, Head of Spanish Department, University of Victoria, Elvira Siurana, Editorial Aconcagua Publishing and the expert in Spanish literature Gonzalo Santoja and professor of Universidad Cumplutense of Madrid. The publication of the book is scheduled for 1st of August, 1998. Click on the picture to find the information.
Note from the writer	This page is under construction and it will be under constant revision to make it more dynamic. I intend to introduce a selection from the huge number of literary works produced by Spanish and Latin-Americans. If you have a contribution, please send it to dcastillo_98@yahoo.com

Homenaje a Colon

Homage to Columbus

In the middle of fifteenth century
appeared your star
that Génova lit
to indicate the place;
where it is believe this nonpareil man was born

Christopher Columbus,
the navigator had arrived in the world
with new theories,
concerning navigation,
he made many enemies
and nobody gave him the reason.

He wished to arrive
by a shorter road to India
Searching for help
he arrived in Portugal;
but the Kings from Spain
that gave him
three ships for the adventure,
made Columbus immortal.

It was Isabel Queen of Spain
with their intuition of a woman
convinced her husband and the Realm
that a good investment was going to be
conquering for the Spanish throne lands,
wealth and power.

Five centuries have been ridden
in the course of history.
Five centuries that Columbus
gave to Spain the glory
of changing the face of the world
without making revolution.

Jubilant the 12 of October
when a chimera was buried
and it was born into a new life.
In a new land it flourished strong
like the spring;
he gave the world new homelands
and Spain is mother of them all.

America! America! shout in Alaska
and my voice travels your vast geography
and the echo goes
repeating like a long poem.
America! America! until you fall asleep exhausted covered by the immaculate white savanna of the Antarctic.

Two great oceans bathe your tan body
and the two despair by washing
your feet in Tierra del Fuego.
They roar, they lift and they shake in order
to demonstrate their power,
because the two pretend to harbour
their wants in their channel.

Sport commemorated your record
with the Olympics of Barcelona
!Who could forget them!
and its song "Friends for Always"
in the soul.

The beautiful city of Sevilla
was paid their honor
in order to present its
grandiose exposition;
very modern and functional
and simply brilliant.

Even the soul of Columbus seemed to be present,
but it shone out of focus with so much technology; and so that not making him feel a stranger they brought from the
Antarctic a millennial iceberg to make him a companion.

Madrid, the capital from Spain
was the center of culture and the art
events of this nature flourished in all parts, like official acts,
in celebration of their courageous hero.

Let us close this homage
making a conclusion;
if "we are all Americans,"
like the song says,
unite our forces,
search for the road together
that will carry us to a good destination
like it was for Christopher Columbus.

En pleno siglo quince apareció tu estrella
que a Génova alumbraba
para indicar el lugar;
donde se cree que ha nacido
este hombre sin igual.

Había llegado al mundo
el navegante Cristobal Colón
que con sus nuevas teorías,
respecto a navegación,
se hizo de muchos enemigos
y nadie le daba razón.

Por un camino más corto
a las Indias querías llegar.
Buscando quién te ayudara
llegaste hasta Portugal;
pero fueron los Reyes de España
los que permitieron pertrechar
tres barcos para la aventura,
que a Colón haría inmortal.

Fue la reina Isabel de España
que con su intuición de mujer
convenció a su esposo y al Reino
que buena inversión iba a ser
conquistar para el trono de España
tierras riquezas y poder

Cinco siglos se han cabalgado
en el corcel de la historia;
cinco siglos que Colón
a España diera la gloria
de cambiar la faz del mundo
sin hacer revolución.

Jubiloso 12 de Octubre
donde se enterró una quimera
y nació una nueva vida, en tierra nueva
que floreció pujante como la primavera;
diste al mundo nuevas patrias
y España es madre de todas ellas.

¡América! ¡América! grito en Alaska
y mi voz recorre tu inmenza geografía
y el eco va repitiendo como una larga poesía
¡América! ¡América! hasta dormirse extenuada
cubierto por la sabana Antártica
de un blanco inmaculado.

Dos gigantes oceánicos bañan tu cuerpo moreno
y los dos desesperan por lavar
tus pies en Tierra del Fuego;
rugen, se ofuscan y agitan para demostrar su poder,
porque los dos pretenden albergar
en su lecho su querer.

El Deporte conmemoró tu hazaña
con los Olímpicos de Barcelona
!Quien los podrá olvidar!
si dejó “Amigos para Siempre”
y en el alma su cantar.

La hermosa ciudad de Sevilla
se jugó hasta su honor
para sacar adelante su grandiosa exposición;
muy moderna y funcional
y sencillamente brillante.

Hasta Colón en espíritu, parecía estar presente,
pero lucía fuera de foco con tanta tecnología;
y para que no se sintiera un extraño,
de la Antártica le trajeron un iceberg milenario
para hacerle compañía.
Madrid, capital de España
fue centro de la cultura y del arte
eventos de esta naturaleza afloraban
por tadas partes,
como actos oficiales,
en conmemoración de tu hazaña.

Cerremos este homenaje
sacando una conclusión;
si “somos todos americanos”,
como dice una canción,
unamos nuestras fuerzas,
busquemos juntos el camino
que nos llevará a buen destino
como lo hizo Cristobal Colón.

To go back to the English Front page click on the Back button if you want to search something in Spanish click the Home button.

Updated on: 4 of Septembere, 1998