Peruvian literature
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In the history of Peruvian literature, the oral indigenous tradition and the technical resources of writing (incorporated by Spaniards) converge in each other. From the beginning, it was possible to gather and to express the different and complex cultural realities that entered in conflict immediately after the conquest.
Quechua and Aymara literature was transmitted in an oral way. It was linked to religious, agrarian, affectionate, festive or funeral rites. These characteristics became into certain forms of poetry or prose, as it is observed in the first historical chronicles of the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (Los comentarios reales) or F. Guaman Poma de Ayala (la Nueva crónica y buen gobierno) and in the identification between the yaravies and the patriotic and romantic poetry. One of the most outstanding exponents here was M. Melgar.
Later, the hegemony of Creole oligarchy in the Peruvian society favored the abandonment of the indigenous forms in favor of the European ones. Then the neoclassicists arose like M. Ascensio Segura and F. Pardo Aliaga. They held themselves almost until the end of the XIX century. At this time, the romantic current was imposed thanked to the works of C. A. Salaverry and J. A. Marquez, between others. The general crisis derived from the War of the Pacific gave place to the Modernism. Its best exponents were J. Santos Chocano and J. M. Eguren. After them, the Avant-gardism current popped up strongly impelled by the magazines: Colónida and Amauta. Amauta magazine was founded in 1926 by J. C. Mariategui. Between its collaborators was Cesar Vallejo. Meanwhile the Indigenous current in poetry was reborn thanked to L. F. Xammar. The avant-gardist writers were fragmenting in different lyric proposals like the ones of X. Abril, A. Hidalgo, S. Salazar Bondy, C. G. Belli, and others. They were opening new and diverse expressive fields.
In the XIX century, Peruvian prose passed from the costumbrismo current: Manuel Ascensio Segura and Ricardo Palma, to the Modernism current: Manuel González Prada and José Santos Chocano. In the XX century, the indigenous prose reached some of its culminating moments with Ciro Alegría and José María Arguedas and Manuel Scorza. Also from the 50's urban realism developed with the works of Julio Ramón Ribeyro and Sebastián Salazar Bondy(of whom his most important works were his theater plays). Without leaving the realistic approach, Mario Vargas Llosa and Alfredo Bryce Echenique incorporated new narrative techniques. Some of the most remarkable names in poetry are Emilio Adolfo Westphalen, Jorge Eielson, Carlos Germán Belli, Antonio Cisneros, Wáshington Delgado, Marco Martos, Carmen Ollé and in narrative: Miguel Gutiérrez, Gregorio Martínez, Alonso Cueto, Guillermo Niño de Guzmán, between others.
