African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notes:
287 p, Eexamines how a number of "foundational" Argentine authors—Echeverría, Mármol, Sarmiento, Ingenieros, Lugones, and others—either repressed the Afro-Argentine past or portrayed Afro-Argentines in profoundly racist ways. José Hernández (Martín Fierro) and Borges, in their allegedly sympathetic treatment of Afro-Argentines, were notable exceptions. The book has some appealing aspects. Extensive excerpts from the authors Solomianski examines—including, in Chapter 7, from nineteenth-century black newspapers and writers—give readers a vivid sense of literary representations of blackness in Argentina. And his analysis of Afro-Argentine characters in twentieth-century films, plays (including the patriotic skits presented in public elementary and high schools), and tangos is revealing and suggestive.
