Colonial Period (1499-1810)
Under the Spanish Empire, major literary topics included conquest narratives, chronicles, religious devotion, and love themes. Some of the best-known authors of this period are:
- Hernando Domínguez Camargo (Bogotá, 1606 – Tunja, 1659), Jesuit priest and writer. His work was influenced by the Spanish poet Luis de Góngora, in a cultural trend known as the Indias Baroque. His most recognized works are ”Epic Poem to St Ignacio of Loyola” and “Bouquet of poetic flowers”.
- Francisco Álvarez de Velasco y Zorrilla (Bogotá, 1647 – Madrid, 1708). His main work was Rhytmica Sacra, Moral y Laudatiria. His writings show admiration for the work of Francisco de Quevedo and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.
- Francisca Josefa del Castillo. Tunjan nun, recognized as one of the most important female authors of mysticism for her Afectos espirituales and her Vida (memoirs) .
- Juan de Castellanos. Wrote the longest poem ever in the Spanish language, Elegías de Varones Ilustres de Indias.
- Juan Rodríguez Freyle. Spanish priest, wrote the extensive chronicle of colonial life El Carnero (The Billygoat).
Read more about this topic: Colombian Literature
Famous quotes containing the words colonial and/or period:
“In colonial America, the father was the primary parent. . . . Over the past two hundred years, each generation of fathers has had less authority than the last. . . . Masculinity ceased to be defined in terms of domestic involvement, skills at fathering and husbanding, but began to be defined in terms of making money. Men had to leave home to work. They stopped doing all the things they used to do.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)
“In a period of a people’s life that bears the designation “transitional,” the task of a thinking individual, of a sincere citizen of his country, is to go forward, despite the dirt and difficulty of the path, to go forward without losing from view even for a moment those fundamental ideals on which the entire existence of the society to which he belongs is built.”
—Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev (1818–1883)