El Matadero, Dogma Socialista

Date: 1830s - 1840s

Region: South America

Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion

Medium: Literature


Artist: Esteban Echeverria (1805 - 1851)

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 writings, including Echeverria's, 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.

Source: Censorship, A World Encyclopedia, ed. D. Jones