Call Number:

C0784

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 2 boxes
• 0.9 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Alvaro Yunque Correspondence, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1921-1981 (inclusive) and 1924-1979 (bulk)

Creator:

Yunque, Álvaro, 1889-1982

Form:

Correspondence

Abstract:

The Alvaro Yunque Correspondence consists of letters, manuscripts of poems, essays and other printed and miscellaneous material by Alvaro Yunque and others.

Alvaro Yunque (1889-1982), short story writer, novelist, poet and dramatist, was born in La Plata, a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. His real name is Arístedes Gandolfi Herrero; "Alvaro Yunque" is a pseudonym. Yunque moved to the city of Buenos Aires to study in the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. After completing his studies, he first pursued a career as a math teacher and journalist. He worked for the magazine Nosotros and the newspapers Crítica, La Nación, and La Prensa. Yunque's first published book was Versos de la calle (1924), a book of poems. His short stories were first published in two collections, Barcos de papel and Ta-te-tí: Otros barcos de papel (Cuentos de niños), both published in 1926. The fiction of his later period is Muchachos pobres (1956) and Muchachos del sur (1957), and a novel, Tutearse con el peligro.

Yunque's fiction is chiefly concerned with poor children in urban settings. Yunque was a central figure in the literary group Grupo de Boedo (named after Boedo Street in Buenos Aires), a group which was committed to producing realist fiction with radical themes. This literary group coexisted, and is often contrasted with, the Florida literary group (named after Florida Street), a group which favored avant-garde writing with less political themes. Christopher T. Leland notes in his study of Argentine writers, The Last Happy Men (1986), that "Yunque, `The Forge' likely remains Boedo's best loved figure." (p. 59) Yunque's literary reputation has also been established by his numerous theatrical pieces, which include, Miguel cantó (1936) and Somos hermanos (1936), and his literary studies, La literatura social en la Argentina (1941) and a large work, Historia de los argentinos (1968).

The Alvaro Yunque Correspondence consists primarily of the correspondence of Alvaro Yunque with other writers and politicians in Argentina and Uruguay. The collection includes letters, notes, essays, and a few manuscript poems. The correspondence includes letters by Yunque to his wife, Alba Gandolfi, and his children, Alba and Adalbo. Alba Gandolfi is often addressed as a co-correspondent in the letters sent to Yunque by poets and other writers.

The collection contains Yunque's correspondence with many members of the Boedo group. These writers include Elías Castelnuovo, Leónidas Barletta, Gustavo Riccio, Aristobúlo Echegaray, Roberto Mariani, César Tiempo, and Delgado Fito. There is also extensive correspondence with other Argentine and Uruguayan writers, including Enrique Banchs, Arturo Capdevila, Raúl and Enrique González Tuñón (brothers), Manuel Gálvez, Fernán Silva Valdés, Juana de Ibarbourou and Roberto J. Payró. The collection also contains correspondence with Argentine politicians Alfredo L. Palacios, Carlos Sanchez Viamonte, and Rodolfo Ghioldi, and important literary critics Roberto F. Giusti, Rafael Alberto Arrieta, Raúl Larra, and Pedro Orgambide. Many of Yunque's works are discussed, such as Antología poética, Barcos de papel, Ta-te-tí, Versos de la calle, and Zancadillas. Yunque's political beliefs were leftist: he and Castelnuovo led the Boedo group in creating fiction with revolutionary themes. The collection includes three letters from leaders of the Partido Comunista celebrating Yunque's life and work. Yunque was interested in writing about children and though he intended his writing for an adult audience, young people also read his fiction. The collection is augmented by a group of papers from a celebration of Yunque's 80th birthday at the Dr. Jaim Zhitlovsky School in Buenos Aires.

The collection is arranged in the following series: