José María López Valdizón : an introduction to the "new realism" literature of the Guatemalan revolution

• Main Author: Bryant, Marie Antoinette
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholarly Commons 1971
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/1730; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2729&context=uop_etds

To what extent this subtle censorship of López Valdizón by his compatriots is related to the author’s specific political activities, during and since the Guatemalan Revolution, shall have to remain a moot question since everyone, including López Valdizón himself, declined to discuss this issue. All things considered, López Valdizón emerged as an eminently qualified spokesman for his generation. Subsequent direct correspondence with the author during these intervening years has only served to confirm the original premise. Therefore, recognizing that the present effort is but one endeavor into an area which is still open to much investigation, it is hoped that this introduction of López Valdizón to the English-speaking world will give an insight into a “revolutionary” whose nationalism and reproving pen have their roots in the Guatemalan Revolution. The phrase “new realism” is an idea unique to the Guatemalan milieu of 1944-54 and to the generation of artists and writers who emerged during this period. More than a literary term, “new realism” originated as a formalized concept, ultra nationalistic in nature, and oriented toward refocusing and channelling intellectual endeavors toward the promotion of the Guatemalan Revolution.