Rodríguez-Alcalá, Hugo (1917–)

Hugo Rodríguez-Alcalá (b. 25 November 1917), Paraguayan poet, short story writer, and literary critic. Rodríguez-Alcalá is the son of José Rodríguez Alcalá and Teresa Lamas Carísimo, both established writers. Born in Asunción, Hugo studied at the National College and obtained a doctorate from the National University. His Poemas appeared in 1938, followed by Estampas de la guerra, based on his experiences in the Chaco War, in 1939. In 1947 he moved to the United States and earned a second Ph.D., after which he taught literature at several universities, most notably the University of California at Riverside. He has directed and advised many literary journals, including Hispanic Review and Revista Iberoamericana.

Rodríguez-Alcalá is perhaps best known for his poetry and his numerous studies in the area of literary criticism. Most of his poetry and short stories revolve around the theme of childhood innocence and contain nostalgic and vivid images in the manner of the Spanish poet Antonio Machado and other members of the Generation of 1898, of which he was a specialist. Rodríguez-Alcalá's critical studies include stylistic analyses of the works of Juan Rulfo and Roa Bastos. His Historia de la literatura paraguaya (1970) has become a standard reference manual.

Other works include Abril, que cruza el mundo (1960); El arte de Juan Rulfo (1965); Relatos de norte al sur (1985); and Augusto Roa Bastos, Premio Cervantes 1989 (1990).

See alsoLiterature: Spanish America .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Vallejos, Roque. La literatura paraguaya, como expresión de la realidad nacional. Asunción: Editorial Don Bosco, 1971.

                                          Thomas E. Case