El Matadero, Dogma Socialista
Date: 1830s - 1840s
Region: South America
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Literature
Artist: Esteban Echeverria
Confronting Bodies: Argentine government
Dates of Action: 1830s-1840s
Location: Argentina
Description of Artwork: Echeverria is known for his critiques of the Argentine dictatorship ruled by Juan Manuel Rosas. His poem, Dogma Socialista shows concern for democracy in Argentina. In his novella, El Matadero (The Slaughterhouse), the noisome conditions of the slaughterhouse represent the brutality of the Rosas government.
The Incident: Echeverria founded the Association of the Young Argentine Generation to encourage liberalism and romanticism in creative writing. Many of the group's, including Echeverria's, writings were written in the magazine La Moda. La Moda was closed by Rosas's government and Echeverria was exiled.
Results of Incident: Rosas exiled many liberal Argentine writers. Echeverria and other writers continued to write literature critical of the Argentine government from Uruguay and Chile. Echeverria died in exile in 1851.
Source: Censorship, A World Encyclopedia, ed. D. Jones
