Guarani Poetry and the Pulses of Criticism. Narciso R. Colman’s Strategies Around the Songbook Ocara potÿ (1917-21)

Abstract

The aim of this work is to understand the dynamics between writers and the emerging literary circles of Paraguay at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the place assigned to the Guarani language in this interaction. This article specifically studies the case of Narciso R. Colmán concerning the publication of his first book, Ocara potÿ (Cantares de Rosicrán) [Field flowers. Rosicran’s songs] (1917). It is shown how he was able to introduce his poetic work to the emerging intellectual circles of Asunción and be acknowledged by them. For this purpose, we will first briefly review the author's career and the most relevant critical studies on his work, and then analyze the conditions of production and reception of the two editions of his book.