por Tomas Carrasquilla Naranjo (1858-1940) was a Colombian writer, novelist and narrator whose work was oriented towards the history and culture of his native Antioquia. The literature developed by this author was characterized by being customary in terms of content and modernist in relation to aesthetics.
Carrasquilla’s work stood out for being reflective, critical and analytical. The writer used a cultured and expressive language in which he avoided the excessive use of rhetoric and other literary devices to embellish the text. In his works, words typical of the towns and provinces of Colombia were evident.
The best known titles of Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo were Simon the Magician, In the right hand of God the Father, Dimitas Arias, Homilies, The Rifle and the Marquise of Yolombó. The author dedicated his whole life to writing and in it he reflected his simple, honest, kind, fair and respectful personality.
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Biography
birth and family
Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo was born on January 21, 1850 in the town of Santo Domingo in Antioquia, where he came from a cultured family with a good economic position. His father was a mining engineer named Raúl Carrasquilla Isaza and his mother was Ecilda Naranjo Moreno, who influenced Tomás’ taste for literature.
Studies
Carrasquilla’s childhood and early years of education were spent in his hometown. She studied at the main school in Santo Domingo and at the same time learned literature with her mother. In 1866 he went to Medellín to finish high school and enter the University of Antioquia, but due to the civil war he did not complete his training.
back to his land
With the closure of the University of Medellín in 1877, the young Carrasquilla returned to Antioquia. There he dedicated himself to working as a secretary and public official and also worked in the tailoring area.
At that time, Tomás also invested time in reading and developing some writings. Such was his dedication and passion for literature that he, in the company of some friends, founded the public library in his native Santo Domingo.
Beginnings of his literary career
Tomás Carrasquilla took his first steps as a writer in 1888 when Carlos Restrepo —future president of the Colombian nation— invited him to be part of El Casino Literario. Two years later, his work simon the magician It was published in a collection of the aforementioned literary organization.
Many of the members of El Casino maintained that there were no elements to write novels in the provinces, including Antioquia. Due to this comment, Carrasquilla undertook the task of proving otherwise with the publication of fruits of my land in 1896.
The aforementioned work dealt with family relationships and conflicts arising from quarrels and envy. Carrasquilla managed with said letter to dismiss the comments against the province and vindicate the name of his beloved Antioquia.
Rejection to the capital of the country
The success and good reception of fruits of my land they took him for the first time to Bogotá. There the novel was well received and sold for 45 cents; the writer related to intellectuals of the time such as José Asunción Silva and Baldomero Sanín Cano. Carrasquilla did not fit in with the dynamism of the city, so he returned to his town.
back to the province
The author settled again in Antioquia, where he frequently made trips to Medellín and other areas where he was closely related to the idiosyncrasy of the towns. At that time, Carrasquilla fell from a horse and was bedridden for two months. He managed to recover and went to Santo Domingo, where he got a sore throat.
other productions
Carrasquilla had to spend time at his home in Santo Domingo due to his throat ailment, but he wasted no time and took the opportunity to write. So in 1897 he developed several works: Dimitas Arias, Blanca and At the right hand of God the Father.
During the following six years, the writer greatly increased his literary production, to which he added the following works: San Antoñito, The soul alone, Hail Regina and Father Casafus.
Economic problems
Tomás Carrasquilla’s economy went downhill in 1904 after the ruin of the Banco Popular de Medellín. In order to survive, he went to work as an administrative official in the San Andrés mines from 1906 to 1909. He then returned to Medellín and dedicated himself to attending literary meetings.
career advancements
In 1910 the intellectual resumed his professional career. On that date he released the novel Greatness, inspired by the daily life of Medellín. Four years later, Carrasquilla began working at the newspaper The viewer and shortly after he went to live in Bogotá to work in Public Works.
In 1915, Bogotanos enjoyed his writings due to the expansion of The viewer. After living five years in the Colombian capital, the writer returned to Medellín. He reintegrated into cultural life and continued expanding his literary work; at that time he wrote Ligia Cruz.
his best work
The author remained active in the twenties. During those years he wrote the novel The Marquise of Yolombó, a story about social classes and the reconstruction of towns. It was published in 1928 and has been considered by critics as his best work, both for its content and for its realism.
Last years and death
Carrasquilla spent the last two decades of his life dedicated to writing. Although his health began to deteriorate due to a paralysis that prevented him from fending for himself, the author did not stop producing. To achieve his purpose, he used assistants to whom he dictated the content of his works, among which stand out: rogelio and times ago.
Tomás Carrasquilla died on December 19, 1940 in Medellín due to gangrene.
Style
The literary style of Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo was characterized by the use of a simple and expressive language, often loaded with popular words of the time. His work had costumbrist, modernist and realistic features. The theme of his texts was social, cultural and historical, with a marked presence of nature.
Plays
– Simon the magician (1890).
– Fruits of my land (1896).
– At the right hand of God the Father (1897).
– White (1897).
– Dimitas Arias (1897).
– The soul alone (1898).
– San Antonio (1899).
– Lutherite (1899).
– To the Silver (1901).
– Hello Regina (1903).
– Homilies (1906).
– Child entrails (1906).
– greatness (1910).
– The preface by Francisco Vera (1914).
– The rifle (1915).
– kills her (1915).
– Ligia Cruz (1920).
– The zarco (1922).
– Rogelio (1926).
– The Marquise of Yolombó (1926).
– times ago (1935-1936).
– Father Casafús and other stories.
– Complete works.
Brief description of some of his works
simon the magician (1890)
It was the first publication of this Colombian writer. In it he evoked the past and childhood years, having certain autobiographical traits. The story was narrated in the first person by Toñito, who is the protagonist. Carrasquilla reflected in the work the beliefs and superstitions of the time in an ironic way.
Fragment
«As I grew, the tales and stories of Frutos also grew, without missing the examples and miracles of saints and blessed souls, a matter in which he had great erudition…
«… My faith and my admiration were fulfilled, I came to persuade myself that in the person of Frutos all the wisest, all the greatest in the world universe had come together…».
fruits of my land (1896)
It was a novel by Carrasquilla that was born because of the discussions given in El Casino Literario, where some members thought that novels were not made in the provinces. With this work, the author demonstrated that the Colombian peoples did have stories to tell. At first, the writer titled it Hams and Sirloins.
Tomás Carrasquilla was in charge of publicizing two provincial stories. The first was about the Alzate family and its economic boom, while the second was about the love that Martín Galán felt for a young woman named Pepa Escandón. They were stories of envy, heartbreak, deceit and passions.
Fragment
“…Pepa, in the arms of one, gallant to the highest degree, would stop the dance to point at Martín with her fan, to burst out in vilified laughter, to say ‘gasss!’ and throw a spit in his face. And Martín had the gift of ubiquity, he was in the square at the same time: there, behind the boxes, like a medieval tournament… ”.
The Marquise of Yolombo (1928)
It was one of the most famous novels by Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo, which had historical content. The work was inspired by the reestablishment of the town of Yolombó in Antioquia. The writer was in charge of portraying reality through precise and critical language.
The Colombian author made a detailed description of the social classes that prevailed in Yolombó at the end of the 18th century. It was a novel of transformations and perspectives on people. Carrasquilla placed emphasis on the traditional, religious and cultural.
Fragment
“In the Congo she would have been a queen, and from kings she will probably descend. She is such a black creature, such a fine and lustrous black, with such perfect forms, with such polished features, that she seems carved in jet, by a Hellenic artist”.
fragment of Dimitas Arias (1897)
“…That night, although I felt very foggy, I couldn’t sleep, but I kept rolling over on the mat. The next day, when it was getting light, I went to get up; but I felt pain in my legs so extremely hard that I had to go back to bed…
«…it seemed to me that all the güesos were crushing me, that they were nailing me with watertight stakes crossed and pointed…».
In the previous paragraph of the story Dimitas Arias From Carrasquilla Naranjo you can see the use of a colloquial language, typical of the peoples of Colombia in the 19th century. The use of archaic words was an approach to the culture and particularity of the regions, with the aim of enriching and giving the text more realism.
fragment of White (1897)
“… With that fickleness of childhood, Blanquita leaves the sanctuary, and kicking her feet, showing those breeches with knee pads and wrinkled at the knees, she runs through the patio chasing a sparrow that has perched on the branch of a hicaco. ‘I’m going to bring you rice’, she shouts excitedly…
“The bird is gone; but on the roof of the adjoining house, a black and neurosic vulture jumps, and the girl yells: ‘Come down, little pig, so you can eat the rice!’ And she laughed mockingly, seeing that bird so sad, so helpless…
“… It seems that the suspicious bird does not understand it: it gives a flap of its wings and launches. The girl drops the grains and, looking up at the sky, she exclaims: ‘Look how beautiful the sky is, swept, swept… ”.
Phrases
– “If all values are included in gold, all virtues are included in simplicity”.
– “Being a clown or a commissioner had always seemed like great jobs to me; but from that day on I said to myself: What a clown or anything! There is no witch!»
– “Just as I tell you! And everyone who is devoted to…