The Cult of the Gaucho and the Creation of a Literature.

The author considers the character of the gaucho, the South American mestizo equivalent to the American cowboy, in the literature of Argentina and Uruguay. Argentine poetry by poets Maziel (1727-1788), Panteleón Rivarola (1754-1821), and Bartolomé Hidalgo (1788-1823) which features the colloquial language used by gauchos is discussed. The author compares and contrasts the poems "Martín Fierro," by Argentine poet José Hernández and "Los Tres Orientales," by Uruguayan poet Antonio Luccich. The author also considers how pulp fiction writer Eduardo Gutierrez adapted his novel "Juan Moreira" as a theatrical production, leading to a popular trend of gauchos in circuses, plays, and other entertainment performances.