Vargas Vila, José María, 1860-1933
Variant namesBiographical notes:
Writer José Maria Vargas Vila was born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1860. He spent a large part of his life in exile because of his critical and controversial writings, many of which included liberal ideas and criticsm of the clergy. He died in Barcelona, Spain, in 1933.
From the description of José Maria Vargas Vila papers, 1919-1937 and undated WorldCat record id: 759106014
Writer Jose Maria Vargas Vila was born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1860. His writings contain liberal ideas and staunch criticism of the clergy. In 1884, he left Bogota because of charges brought against him relating to his accusations of sexual misconduct against the Jesuit priest Tomas Escobar. In 1885, civil war broke out in Colombia, and Vargas Vila acted as secretary to the leader of the Liberal Army. After the victory of the conservatives, he fled the country and reappeared in Venezuela, where he was a co-founder of La federacion, a political newspaper that was critical of the conservative government in Colombia.
In Venezuela, Vargas Vila wrote his first novel, Aura o las violetas (1887). In 1892, he traveled for the first time to New York, where he wrote for the newspaper El progreso . After a brief trip to Colombia, he returned to New York where he lived from 1894 to 1896. In New York, he continued writing and also co-edited the journal Hispano America .
Between 1896 and 1903, Vargas Vila divided his time between Europe and New York. In 1903, he returned to New York, where he published his political journal Nemesis . After Colombia ceded the Canal Zone to Panama, his attacks against Colombia, Panama, and the United States resulted his leaving the United States. He eventually settled in Barcelona, Spain.
In the early 1920s, Vargas Vila's physical and mental health began to deteriorate, and he eventually became more distant and solitary. Nonetheless, he undertook a last journey through Latin America in 1924, visiting Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba. In 1929, he was back in Barcelona, where he died in 1933.
From the guide to the Jose Maria Vargas Vila Papers, and undated, 1919-1937, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Rare Book Literary and Historical Papers.)
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Subjects:
- Authors, Colombian
- Colombian literature
- Novelists, Colombian
- Politics and literature
- Religion and literature
Occupations:
Places:
- Latin America (as recorded)
