books intended to create a model child in a perfect world, contrasting with the real
world, and full of explicit and implicit schemes, dogmas and prohibitions.
In the twentieth century, countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba
have been outstanding in the development of literature for children; other countries
have isolated major authors, while in the English- and French-speaking Caribbean, this
literature is practically non-existent. Its basic sources are tradition, oral folklore, fairy
tales, lullabies, and myth, and there is a nineteenth-century flavour to the writing.
In the more developed countries, authors are more receptive to the new trends, and
they meet the requirements of children and youngsters conditioned by the cinema,
television and computer games. South American literature remains insular and
thematically undeveloped, but authors exist of undeniable quality. In Brazil, for example,
Lygia Bojunga Nunes (winner of the Andersen Award 1982) is an outstanding
representative of this new literature that espouses the cause of young people. Cuba and
Argentina have been represented at important events such as the Bologna Children’s
Book Fair: Cuba by Dora Alonso, and Argentina by Elsa Isabel Bonnerman; both writers
have been included in the honours list of the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the
White Raven selection of the International Youth Library.
Children’s literature in this continent has been afflicted by lack of support; with the
exception of isolated attempts in some countries, or the support accorded to culture in
Cuba (in spite of stringent economic conditions for many years). Education, literature
and art have been deprived of resources. Writers can hardly develop if publishing
houses are not willing to consider their works; or, if the few books produced with great
personal effort do not find specialised outlets or must compete with comics and
commercial literature; if libraries have no funds, and if illiteracy is endemic and just as
real as poverty and lack of sanitation.
However, many voices strive to be heard, and more than a few spread the seeds of
nonconformity. Such nonconformity inspired the life and work of Hans Christian
Andersen, that in turn inspired José Martí to write his La Edad de Oro [The Golden Age]
while being immersed in preparing a war of independence.
Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba show a strong, consistent movement in the
realm of literature for children, and a few individuals have continent-wide reputations,
such as Chilean Marcela Paz (Papelucho), and the Costa Rican Joaquín Gutiérrez
(Cocorí). But elsewhere, children’s literature lacks official backing, and there are no
specialist bookstores, publishers or sponsoring.
There are isolated examples of serious critics, such as the Uruguayan Sylvia Puentes
de Oyenard, the Peruvian Jesús Cabel, and the Ecuadorian Francisco Delgado Santos.
Similarly, occasional books may be found; for example, in Honduras there has been El
caracol de cristal by Rubén Berrios; in Belize, Shave my song by Corinth I.Lewis; in
Surinam, Anasi by R.Dobrú and Zik en ik by M. Th. Hijlaard, and The Love Song of
Boyse B. and Other Poems, by Anson González; in Barbados, Fen Lach En Een taa, by
Gerrit Barron; and in Guadeloupe, Ti-Chika, by Sylviane Tachild. Other West Indian
authors are discussed in the final section.
Communication between countries in the continent is poor, even between countries
having the same language and a common frontier. The Caribbean countries are
strangers to each other due to their languages and societal differences. The Casa de las
872 CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN