Abstract

LOPEZ-CALVO, Ignacio. From the Apollonian to the Dionysiac: The "inquerida bohemia" of Rubén Darío. Cuad. CILHA [online]. 2009, vol.10, n.1, pp.84-99. ISSN 1852-9615.

Most critical studies about Rubén Darío's opus, undoubtedly influenced by the Nicaraguan's own poems, tend to focus on texts full of pathos that elicit feelings of pity and sympathy. Consequently, they emphasize his existential angst as well as his quest for personal and universal harmony. However, there is also a less explored side of his oeuvre, which shows a Darío who, in fact, longs to become one more of the bohemian authors who roam around in Paris's famous Latin Quarter. From an early age, he dreams with becoming a decadent poéte maudit like the symbolists he has always admired. This other Darío, bohemian malgré lui, appears in texts such as the short story "El pájaro azul", the prologue to a book by Alejandro Sawa, the first "Nocturno" of Cantos de vida y esperanza as well as several of his autobiographical texts and chronicles. As we see in these writings, Darío's existential angst was not as unique as it is usually described. The great Nicaraguan poet was probably one more of the young and impoverished writers and artists who, while waiting for their deserved (at least in their mind) consecration, knew how enjoy the eccentric bohemian life of the Latin Quarter, without having to cope with the obstacles of bourgeois morals.

Keywords : Rubén Darío; Cantos de vida y esperanza; Eccentric bohemian life; Latin Quarter.

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