OBESE CANDELARIO: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

Candelario Obeso (1849 - 1884) was a Colombian writer, military man, politician, and teacher. He was known after critics and society considered him as the author who started the current of Black and Dark Poetry in Colombia.

There are few biographical data related to the writer; However, it is known that he came from a humble family and that he came to cultivate the art of literature during a period in which he was imprisoned.

During his life, Obeso made numerous translations of works that were published in newspapers of the time, as well as treatises on military tactics. He also produced his own works, such as La familia Pygmalión, Lecturas para ti, Segundino el Zapatero and Lucha de la vida.

Another of his works was Cantos popular de mi tierra, published in 1877 and thanks to which he was recognized as one of the most important authors of Colombian literature.

Curiously, this work did not attract as much interest when Obeso was alive. The work received greater attention years after its publication, in the 20th century.

Biography

Early years

Obese was born on January 12, 1849 in the Mompox district, located in Colombia. His family was characterized by having a humble origin. Some biographical data indicate that his father was Eugenio María Obeso, who was a liberal lawyer; and his mother's name was María de la Cruz Hernández, who was a laundress.

Studies

The first studies that Candelario Obeso carried out took place in a school in the same town where he was born, specifically the Pinillos School.

Later, the institution closed due to a war, which motivated the young man to study at the hands of his father and professor Pedro Salzedo del Vilar. With this teacher he began to receive the first lessons in grammar, arithmetic and geography.

After studying in his hometown, Obeso undertook a trip to Bogotá. Once in the new town, he obtained a scholarship at the Military College.

This institution had been founded in 1861 by the then president of that country, Tomás Cipriano Ignacio María de Mosquera - Figueroa y Arboleda - Salazar, better known as Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera.

The studies in the military school did not take a very long time in his life, because he only remained in the Military School for one year.

Over time, Obeso began his professional training at the National University, where he began a course at the Faculty of Engineering. Later, he made a change to the Faculty of Law and Political Science.

University studies

Two years after starting studying at the Faculty of Law and Political Science, he obtained the title of master, which he achieved without having finished his degree.

Once the title was obtained, he decided to travel back to Mompox to later move to the La Mojana region, located in the north of Colombia. There she began to work as a teacher in a local school.

Obeso experienced numerous fights throughout his life; the first of these took place at the La Mojana school.

After the altercation at the institution, the professor moved to Magangué: a municipality in Colombia that is in the department of Bolívar. Once there, he began working as a public treasurer.

I work with literature

Some sources consulted indicate that the literary work was developed to a greater extent by Obeso when he was deprived of liberty for a time. During his seclusion, he wrote texts such as the book Grammar of the Castilian language and the novel La familia Pygmalion.

When he was released from prison, he decided to return to Bogotá, where he enriched his knowledge of literature and with it his work as a writer. In addition, he established a link with struggles related to the area of ​​politics.

Work in politics

Years after his release, Candelario Obeso was appointed consul of Tours, a city located in the Center - Loire Valley region of France. The writer and politician held the power of office for a short period of time.

Shortly after, during the presidency of Manuel Murillo Toro, between 1872 and 1874, he received the responsibility of being the national interpreter in Panama. He held office until the Civil War began, two years after the end of Murillo Toro's term.

The position made him lean towards liberalism, so he began to enlist in the army that supported this political position.

Afective relationships

Candelario Obeso had great vanity in relation to couple relationships because he considered that he was loved by women. This situation produced painful situations on numerous occasions.

These moments of his life exerted an important influence on the texts he wrote, because some of them contained an emotional charge that leaned notably towards romantic themes and love duels.

Death

Obeso died on July 3, 1884 in Bogotá, Colombia, when he was just 35 years old. There is little information related to the life and death of the author, so the causes of his physical departure are still doubtful.

However, some data indicate that the Colombian writer died after shooting himself with a firearm. It is unknown if it was a suicide or if, on the contrary, the instrument was accidentally actuated. He was buried with honors in the Cementerio de Occidente in Bogotá.

In the event that the death had been intentional, the causes that would have led the renowned Colombian writer to take his own life are unknown.

Work

Source: pixnio.com

the beginning

His work in the world of literature began with the publication of a series of translations and imitations of poets from Europe in a newspaper of the time.

For about a year (between 1873 and 1874) the writer dedicated himself to publishing poems, producing about 15 texts of this type. Some time later his writings began to have a presence in other newspapers and literary media.

Popular songs from my land

Considered the most important work of Candelario Obeso, Popular songs from my land was published in 1877. The writer was inspired by the life and feelings of the bogas that were in the Magdalena River, located in Colombia.

It is considered as a special work of the writer because critics point out that Obeso captured the characteristics of his race, as is language and sensitivity.

The work was a collection of poems, which earned him an important recognition both in the population and in the literary critics of the time. In addition, it gave him the merit to be recognized as the founder of black poetry in Colombia.

On the other hand, Cantos popular de mi tierra expresses the author's criticism of both the canonical forms that were dominant in Colombia at the time, as well as the government and society.

Portraying a reality - Popular songs from my land

It is made up of 16 poems that take the form of speaking and expressing themselves by dark-skinned men to capture in a more truthful way the experiences of a race that was excluded by society at that time.

Obeso made use of words, expressions, themes, rhythms, songs and rituals characteristic of the black community to make them the main characters in Colombian literature. This allowed him to carry out a work that was authentic and that gave society an awareness of the existence of Afro-descendant communities.

Popular songs of my land contributed to breaking the social paradigm of the time that motivated the population belonging to another race to classify people of a different color as an exotic object.

It is presumed that Obeso's work with his work Cantos popular de mi tierra generated interest years after its publication, when issues related to African cultures began to gain importance in the 20th century, which opened the debate on black poetry.

Translations

In addition to Cantos popular de mi tierra Obeso made numerous translations of European authors that were published in a literary newspaper of that time.

The writer carried out the translation activities in order to survive in the face of the precarious economic conditions that he had to face throughout his life.

Obeso saw translations as a necessary income to be able to survive in the Colombia of the time, since his monetary situation was never completely comfortable.

Among the works of this type that he came to do is Shakespeare's Othello, as well as various works by writers such as Victor Hugo, Louis-Charles-Alfred de Musset and Alfred Tennyson.

On the other hand, he also made a translation of a treatise on military strategy by a Belgian lieutenant. In addition, he did various translations of Italian, French and English courses; This showed the interest that the writer had for the educational area and the learning of different languages.

References

1. Candelario Obeso, Spanish Wikipedia, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
2. Candelario Obeso, Portal Ecured, (nd). Taken from ecured.cu
3. Candelario Obeso, a pedagogical, aesthetic and social commitment, Portal Biblioteca Idep, (2011). Taken from library.idep.edu.co
4. Candelario Obeso, Portal Barepcultural, (nd). Taken from encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org
5. Candelario Obeso, the first Afro-American poet, Portal Kien y Ke, (2018). Taken from kienyke.com