Rubén Darío and his Flânerie in Santiago de Chile

Abstract

In the context of the study of the foundations of the Latin-American chronicle, the aim of this paper is to look into a Rubén Darío’s texts, originally intended as a prologue to an unpublished work of the Chilean writer Narciso Tondreau. The characteristics of the prologue bring it closer to the genre of the chronicle, which the Nicaraguan poet will develop later. Thematically, the passages that are related to the comments Darío makes on the city of Santiago are chosen, with the aim of exemplifying the Darain flânerie, following the characteristics that Cuvardic presents. Namely, 1) the notion of cultural pilgrimage to the sanctuaries of culture, 2) the touristic perspective of the Darain flânerie, and 3) his assessment of the public space. The paper concludes that the Darian city represents the determinations that open up the path of the modern writer as an artist and journalist at the same time.