Pedro Bonifacio Palacios (1854-1917) was a renowned Argentine writer, who also served as a teacher and journalist. His first great passion was painting, but he abandoned his dream when he was denied a scholarship to train artistically in Europe. He signed many of his works with the nickname of Almafuerte, being with that pseudonym that he was recognized by the whole world.
He was considered the poet of the forgotten, a definition that was also received by many other writers such as Dostoevsky, García Lorca, Euler Granda or Eduardo Galeano. All were characterized by being authors very critical of governments and defenders of the most disadvantaged classes.
Among his works you can get poetry and sonnets. His legacy was not very extensive in terms of quantity and much of his work was lost over time.
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Palacios was born on May 13, 1854 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, specifically in the city of San Justo. His education responded to a self-learning process and he began to work from a very young age, since at the age of 16 and without official training he began to teach in Chacabuco, a town northwest of Buenos Aires..
Only the name Pedro and the initial B were recorded on his birth certificate. It was agreed that the initial was for Bonifacio, since that was the name his grandparents had on his mother's side: Bonifacia and Bonifacio.
His work as a teacher was not only focused on the intellectual formation of students, but also stimulated the spiritual development of the youngest.
He worked for different newspapers and magazines in Argentina. His work as a journalist was extensive and very relevant. It was in these media where he began to publish some of his articles under the pseudonym Almafuerte, although throughout his life he used several more nicknames..
He was not allowed to teach again, as he did not have the necessary title to perform that role. The real reason was that his critical writings against the government of the day resulted in his being fired.
He was consistent with his criticisms and actions, since he never held public office in the governments of his life. He came to work as a librarian and his command of languages allowed him to translate different texts.
During the last years of his life politics formed part of his being. He shared the ideas of the Buenos Aires Provincial Party and supported Avellaneda. The political discussions caused him more problems than benefits. He died at the age of 62 on February 28, 1917, in La Plata.
His parents were Jacinta Rodríguez and Vicente Palacios, both originally from the town of Chacabuco. The couple had four other children during their union. Juan, Manuel, José and Trinidad were his brothers.
He did not have a simple life, since with only five years he lost his mother and his father abandoned him. The five Palacios children were the responsibility of several relatives since then.
Pedro Bonifacio, for example, began to live with one of his aunts named Carolina, his father's sister. Palacios came to refer to his aunt as his mother on several occasions, with whom he lived in Buenos Aires in search of better living conditions.
Perhaps due to his tough childhood, Palacios took it upon himself to shelter homeless children, whom he gave care and education. It is said that he adopted five children.
Much of his education was self-employed. At the age of seven, he was enrolled in an elementary school in Santa Fe. His aunt Carolina was in charge of educating him attached to the norms of religion..
The first known artistic approach was when Palacios received the Illustrated bible as a gift from her aunt. In the book he was able to appreciate the works of renowned artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael and more prominent figures from the Renaissance era..
From the age of 16 he worked as a teacher, even without having the corresponding title. Between 1870 and 1875 he carried out his work in a men's institution. Over the years he also gave classes at night for some adults.
He worked in different newspapers and magazines over the years. He started out as an editor, but also became a director. Wrote in the newspapers Mercedes Y Buenos Aires (over three years). He was in charge of the direction of the newspaper The village, although there his work lasted a short time due to the conflicts that were experienced in Argentina during those years.
He was in charge of founding the newspaper Progress, where many of his articles were signed with nicknames. He came to use Plato, Juvenal, Bonifacio, Caín, Uriel or Isaías, among many others. At the beginning of the 20th century he was the editor of the weekly Home.
The texts signed with the nickname of Almafuerte were the most important of his career. Recognition around the world came when he decided, in 1892, to send the newspaper The nation one of his poems, which was published and received rave reviews. In Madrid, specifically in the newspaper The balloon, the text was also published.
In addition to Almafuerte and the countless nicknames he used in the print media of the time, Palacios liked to refer to himself as the old poet..
The most obvious characteristic of his literary work is that it was not very abundant. Nor did he have a specific style, since Palacios lived through a time in which a change was experienced from the Romantic period towards a positivist style. He used prose and verse as literary devices.
His poems were very focused on giving his opinion on the work of the government. He was always very critical when exposing his ideas in the texts and this earned him to be censored on many occasions.
He praised the most disadvantaged groups or communities. This sector of society was referred to as rabble, although without any derogatory connotation.
He only published two books while he lived: Wailing Y Almafuerte and the war. He worked for several years in the compilation of his poems, but died before completing his work.
Others were in charge of compiling and publicizing all their work. The first was Alfredo Torcelli, who in 1928 published Complete works: poetry, volume of more than 200 pages. Then, in 1933, he made Poetry: first compilation made in the presence of original texts, which had almost 400 pages.
One of Palacios' first publications was Poor teresa, which he wrote in 1875 and consisted of four chapters.
Evangelicals, The shadow of the homeland Y Missionary They were texts that had a great impact. For a long time Evangelical it was a publication that allowed him to be financially stable.
At the beginning of the 20th century, he had a drinking problem. He justified his new habit as a way to get inspired to carry out his creative process. During this stage he wrote several poems such as Tremolo, Classic Milongas Y Six medicinal sonnets.
Many writers honored Pedro Bonifacio Palacios and highlighted his work as an author and also in teaching. Artists like Jorge Luis Borges considered it part of the avant-garde style. The members of Boedo's group, which was formed during the 1920s, applauded his work.
Rubén Darío referred to Almafuerte as "one of the strongest demonstrations of his generation." Justo Rocha assured that Palacios "was the greatest poet of social pain"; while Leopoldo Lugones named him "one of the most vigorous and original poets on the continent".
In his honor, the Buenos Aires writer's day is celebrated on May 13, a date that coincides with his birth. In addition, a film was made about his life, which was released in 1949..
The pseudonym Almafuerte is used to refer to a neighborhood in San Justo, the place where the Argentine writer was born. It is also the name of one of the most important heavy metal groups in Argentina..
Palacios lived his last 10 years in a house on Calle 66 in La Plata. After the death of the writer, the house became a museum that delves into the life of the outstanding Argentine artist.
The Almafuerte house is considered a Historical Monument, a distinction that it acquired in the 60s. In the museum you can find different objects and works of the author. There are photographs, texts, paintings and books of Palacios.
Almafuerte's most popular phrase is when he wrote in the poem Piu avanti: "Do not give up, not even beaten".
In the poem The incurable wrote: "Do not tell your truth or the most beloved, do not show your fear or the most feared, do not believe that they have never loved you for more kisses of love they have given you".
His poem Avanti He exclaims: “If they prostrate you ten times, you get up another ten, another hundred, another five hundred; Your falls should not be so violent nor, by law, should they be so many ".
On Children and parents you can guess a bit about his family life and his thoughts about his father's abandonment. In that poem he wrote: "Parents without a soul, are those who deny their children comfort, love, example and hope".
"Being good, in my opinion, is the simplest thing and it reconciles duty, altruism and taste," he expressed in Like oxen.
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