Vicente Huidobro is one of Chile’s leading poets. Father of creationism, he is remembered for his fervent cultural activity
Considered one of the greatest Chilean poets of all time, on a par with Neruda, De Rokha and Mistral, Vicente García-Huidobro Fernández is the protagonist of the Google Doodle of January 10, 2020. For those who do not know, Doodles are the colorful and sometimes interactive images that replace the Google image on the homepage of the search engine. Usually Doodles are dedicated to certain holidays or important events, such as the birth or death of people who have made history.
This time the honor happened to Vicente Huidobro: today the Chilean poet would have turned 127 years old. Born in Santiago de Chile on January 10, 1893, Vicente Huidobro grew up in a rich family and had the opportunity to study in the best Chilean schools. He graduated in literature from the University of Santiago de Chile and immediately began his cultural activity by publishing books of poetry, directing literary magazines and being politically active in favor of the Chilean Communist Party. Father of Creationism, Vicente Huidobro is considered one of the most important poets of his time.
Who was Vicente Huidobro
A multifaceted personality, who made poetry his reason for living, so much to refuse the boundaries of classical literature and also able to take an interest in cinema and politics. He was born in Santiago del Chile on January 10, 1893 and after attending high school he enrolled in the Faculty of Letters at the University of Chile. He grew up in a wealthy family, with a mother who was a female activist and poet. Vicente Huidobro followed in his mother’s footsteps and from his adolescence showed a unique ability in poetry, so much so that he published his first works at the age of twelve.
In 1914 he published his Cultural Manifesto: Non Serviam. Vicente Huidobro’s name begins to circulate among literary circles and the poet begins a journey that takes him first to Argentina, then to France and finally to Spain. In the meantime he continues to publish poems and books where he shows off his aesthetic beliefs. He collaborates with several literary magazines and enters on a collision course with the major poets of his time.
In 1932 he returns to Chile because of the world economic crisis and becomes a supporter of the Chilean Communist Party. In 1938 the Mandragora, the Chilean surrealist movement of which Huidobro was one of the main characters, was born. He dies on January 2, 1948 as a result of a cerebral stroke caused perhaps by a war wound suffered during the Second World War where he played the role of correspondent from Europe.