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VOLUME: 2.5 linear feet

ACCESS: This collection is open to the public upon request.

COPYRIGHT: Please consult the archivist for information about duplication or publishing of any materials from this collection.

Biographical Note

Felisberto Hern獺ndez was born in Montevideo, Uruguay on October 20, 1902, the eldest child of Prudencio Hern獺ndez Gonz獺lez and Juana Hortensia Silva. Born into poverty, Hern獺ndez was a writer and self-taught pianist who, at times, earned a living playing in movie houses of the silent picture era. Married three times to Mar穩a Isabel Guerra (1925-1935), Amalia Nieto (1937-1942), Mar穩a Luisa las Heras (1949-1950) Hern獺ndez also had extended relationships with Reina Reyes and Paula Medeiros.

Over the course of his life, Hern獺ndez was published a number of times, but he never achieved the kind of success that resulted in financial stability. Often in debt, he relied upon his skills a pianist and a stenographer to make a living. Hern獺ndez, notwithstanding his modest means, was well-received by other Latin American writers and is generally acknowledged as the forerunner to such authors as Gabriel Garc穩a M獺rquez, Italo Calvino, and Julio Cort獺zar, although he never achieved broad acclaim outside of Uruguay. Felisberto Hern獺ndez died on January 13, 1964 from complications related to Leukemia.

For additional biographical information, please consult Box 3: Printed Materials: Newspaper clippings, literary criticism, biographical materials.

Scope and Content Note

The Felisberto Hern獺ndez Collection is comprised primarily of research materials gathered by Frank Graziano, Associate Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies in 51勛圖s College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Foreign Languages from 1991 to 1999; much of the material contained in the collection has been copied from the files of Norah Giraldi dei Cas in support of his research. During his time at 51勛圖, Dr. Grazianos output on the topic of Felisberto Hern獺ndez and his works included articles, conference papers, and one monograph, The Lust of Seeing: Themes of the Gaze and Sexual Rituals in the Fiction of Felisberto Hern獺ndez (Bucknell University Press, 1997).

The collection is organized alphabetically, primarily according to type of materials, with some arrangement by subject matter. The bulk of the collection is photocopy and/or photographic reproductions of original and secondary source materials related to the life and work of Felisberto Hern獺ndez; this includes correspondence, family photographs, notebooks, journals, legal documents (including birth certificates and civic registration documents), literary criticism, musical compositions, published articles, and manuscript drafts. The next largest grouping in the collection Is comprised of materials gathered in preparation for and execution of a conference held at 51勛圖 in April 1993; this includes conference programs; invitations, registration information; and photographs, slides, audiocassettes, and videocassettes from conference sessions.

Provenance

Frank Graziano donated this collection to the 51勛圖 Library in 1998. An additional set of slides was donated in 2014.

Processing Note

As this collection was assembled by reproducing materials from other collections whose order was no longer intact, the collection was rearranged and all folder titles were provided by the processing technician. Notes on previous inventories and arrangement of materials can be found in Box 4: Research notes and miscellany, though these are not comprehensive of the entire collection; additional information regarding previous inventories can be located in the collections accession file.

Box & Folder Listing

Box 1

  • Audiocassettes
    • Interview with Mabel Hern獺ndez Guerra 4/18/93
    • [readings of works by FH]
    • Por los Tiempos de Felisberto Hern獺ndez A. C獺ceres, Ph.D.
    • Intermezzo, dramatized from two stories by Felisberto Hern獺ndez
    • Felisberto Hern獺ndez / 1. Cables (?) Pelados 2. Carta Abierta al Presidente
  • Book Cover: Hern獺ndez, Felisberto. Piano Stories.
  • Conference (Felisberto Hern獺ndez: An International Homage):
    • Audiocassettes
      • The Slide Presentation / DiscussionMenos Julia Part I (2 copies)
      • DiscussionMenos Julia Part II
    • Programs, Registration Information, Invitations, Amalia Nieto Exhibit
    • Photographs
    • Videocassettes
      • Thursday April 15, 1993, Homage to Felisberto
      • Thursday April 15, 1993, Discussion Menos Julia / Friday April 16, 1993, The Fantastic and the Unfinished.
      • Friday April 16, 1993, Norah Giraldi dei Cas, Roberto Echavarren
      • Friday April 16, 1993, El Cocodrilo, Three Rereadings
      • Saturday, April 17, 1993, Lisa Block de Behar, Cristina Peri Rossi

Box 2

  • Correspondence, sent: Hern獺ndez, Felisberto 1922-1956 (bulk 1939-1950)
  • Correspondence, received
    • Hern獺ndez, Felisberto 1943-1948
    • Giraldi dei Cas, Norah; Graziano, Frank; Hern獺ndez Silva, Ismael (1964, 1977, 1993-1994)
  • Legal Documents (1924, 1969, 1973)
  • Manuscripts, handwritten
    • Journals & notebooks by Felisberto Hern獺ndez
    • La casa inundada variant, 1963 by Felisberto Hern獺ndez
    • [Las hortensias?] by Felisberto Hern獺ndez
    • Notebooks by Felisberto Hern獺ndez [2 folders]
    • Stenography by Felisberto Hern獺ndez (1948, n.d.)
  • Manuscripts, typed: Journals by Felisberto Hern獺ndez [transcribed from unknown source] (1935, 1936, 1940, 1941)
  • Maps
  • Musical Compositions (1927, n.d.)
  • Photographs
    • By Alvaro Lopez Giraldi (subjects selected by Deolinda Ronga Hern獺ndez) (2/1993)
    • People and Places (1915, 1924, 1961 ,1962, 1968, n.d.)
    • For Exhibit w/captions on sheet (1907, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1929, 1939, c1960, 1961, n.d.) (see also: Box 3, Photographs, mounted)

Box 3

  • Photographs, mounted: for Exhibit w/captions on sheet (1907, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1929, 1939, c1960, 1961, n.d.) (see also: Box 2, Photographs: for exhibit)

Box 4

  • Photographs
    • Negatives (1962, n.d.)
    • Slides (8/1988, 3/1993, 2/1994, 4/1994, n.d.)
  • Printed Materials
    • Books and Journals/Magazines
      • Ca?nepa, Aldo L. Felisberto Hern獺ndez. Manuales de literatura, 55. Montevideo: Editorial Te?cnica, 1979.
      • D穩az, Jos矇 Pedro. El Espect獺culo Imaginario. Montevideo: Arca Editorial, 1986.
      • Felisberto Herna?ndez notas cri?ticas. Cuadernos de Literatura, 15.
      • [Montevideo]: Fundacio?n de Cultura Universitaria, 1970.
      • Giraldi dei Cas, Norah. Felisberto Hern獺ndez: del Creador al Hombre.
      • Montevideo: Ediciones de la Banda Oriental, 1975.
      • Hern獺ndez, Felisberto. Las Hortensas. Barcelona: Editorial Lumen, 1974.
      • Medeiros, Paulina. Felisberto Hern獺ndez y Yo. Uruguay: Libros del Astillero, n.d.
      • Medeiros, Paulina. Fronda Sumergida: Poesia. Montevideo: Biblioteca Alfar, n.d.
      • Pallares, Ricardo and Reina Reyes. 聶Otro Felisberto? Montevideo: Editorial Imago, 1983.
      • El Paseante, 10. Madrid: Ediciones Siruela, S.A., 1988
      • Newspaper clippings, journal articles, dedication, conference papers by Felisberto Hern獺ndez (1934, 1944, 1945, 1950, 1951, 1966, 1969, n.d.)
      • Newspaper clippings, literary criticism, biographical materials (published and unpublished) (1926, 1934, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1950, 1955, 1964, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1982, n.d.)
  • Programs: Concert programs, announcements, invitations (1934, 1936, 1937, 1945, 1952, 1969, 1991, n.d.)
  • Research notes and miscellany (Graziano, Giraldi dei Cas)
  • Signature Book: Homage to Felisberto Hern獺ndez, 1929
  • Superville, Jules (1945, n.d.)