Américas (with its permanent seat in Cuba) has attempted to improve matters through
its literary awards.
ArgentinaThe earliest literature was folklore; each region evolved its particular tradition from
myths, legends and other forms largely inherited from the indigenous races. One of the
first texts of literature for children was by Eduardo García Mantilla, Cuentos, written
about 1880. The pioneer of Argentinian children’s literature is considered by critics to be
Ada María Elflein, whose stories were published in dailies and magazines, especially
Leyendas Argentinas, from 1906. She revived the epics and the legends and rewrote the
myths. Similar books of that period were Cuentos Patrióticos and Episodios Históricos by
Varela Oro.
Especially significant is the work of an Uruguayan author who wrote and published
his entire production in Argentina: Horacio Quiroga. In his Cuentos de la Selva (1921),
Quiroga turned out literature of continent-wide importance. In the early years of the
century, Álvaro Yunque with Barcos de Papel (1925) and Benito Lynch with El Potrillo
Roano (1924), are equally important.
The magazine Billiken, founded 17 November 1919 by Constancio C.Vigil, was for many
decades a valuable vehicle for this literature.
Also significant is that many great authors of the end of the nineteenth century and
the beginning of the twentieth century also wrote for children. One of them was
Bartolomé Hidalgo, originator of gaucho literature; another, Esteban de Luca. Domingo
de Azcuénaga was an outstanding writer of fables.
Between 1880 and 1920—during the boom of modernism and realism—there were
several publishing houses and many books dedicated to children. Besides Quiroga—a
modernist influenced by naturalism—the writings for children by Alfonsina Storni,
Alfredo Bufano, Juan Burghi and Arturo Marasso are worthy of note. Other authors
around that period were Leopoldo Marechel (El Niño y Dios), Jorge Luis Borges with a few
pieces adapted to children’s tastes, Leónidas Barletta, Aristóbulo Echegaray and
Gustavo Riccio (poetry), José Pedroni, Conrado Nalé Roxlo, the great poet José Sebastián
Tallón (renowned for his work Las Torres de Nuremberg), Luis Franco, Roberto Ledesma,
Luis Cané, Rafael Jiménez Sánchez, and others.
The years 1935 to 1963 are crucial to the production of Argentinian children’s books,
with the emergence of a woman who, from her earliest books was an absolute favourite
among children. María Elena Walsh provided a fresh approach, unrestrained,
untraditional, more playful and enriching. Her most famous books include Tutú
Marambá, El Reino del Revés, Cuentopos de Gulubú, Zoo Loco, and Dailan Kifki.
Another outstanding writer of the period was the globetrotter Javier Villafañe, the
author of important poetic and theatrical works which he promoted on his travels.
During that time the activities of critics and essayists were superbly represented by
Fryda Schultz de Mantovani, who studied children’s literature from many angles.
Martha Salotti, founder of the Summa Institute and of the first department of children’s
literature in the country’s universities, is another significant figure, as is Dora Pastoriza
de Etchebarne, who succeeded Salotti as director of the Institute.
THE WORLD OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE 873