Sur magazine

Sur magazine
Title	Sur
Category	Literary magazine
Publisher	Editorial Sur
Founded	1931
Finaldate	1992 (periodic revivals)
Country	Argentina
Based	Buenos Aires
Language	Spanish

Sur magazine

Sur was a prominent Argentine literary and cultural magazine published in Buenos Aires from 1931, noted for shaping Latin American literature, criticism, and intellectual networks across the Spanish-speaking world. It became a focal point for writers, critics, and artists associated with Jorge Luis Borges, Victoria Ocampo, Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, and contemporaries who engaged with European and North American movements such as Modernism (literature), Surrealism, Existentialism, and debates around Indigenismo. The magazine's pages hosted essays, poetry, fiction, and translations that linked Argentina with cultural centers in Paris, Madrid, Mexico City, New York City, and London.

History

Sur emerged during a period marked by political upheaval and cultural exchange in Buenos Aires amid the aftermath of the Great Depression (1929). The magazine occupied a central role in debates touching on national identity that intersected with discussions in Spain after the Spanish Civil War and intellectual movements in Mexico and Chile. Sur’s trajectory reflected shifts in Argentine politics including the era of Infamous Decade (Argentina), the presidency of Juan Perón, and the later military governments such as the National Reorganization Process. Editorial choices and contributor networks responded to transnational currents involving institutions like the Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina and literary circles connected to the Salon des Indépendants and Club de los 13.

Founding and Editorial Leadership

Sur was founded by Argentine patron and intellectual Victoria Ocampo with the support of figures from Buenos Aires cultural elites and international connections to editors and translators in Paris and Madrid. Ocampo served as director and editorial guide while collaborating with editors and advisers including Adolfo Bioy Casares, Silvina Ocampo, Jorge Luis Borges, and critics linked to Alejo Carpentier and Carlos Gardini. Editorial leadership navigated relationships with publishers and cultural institutions such as Editorial Losada and later partnerships that allowed serialized translations of works by authors from France, England, Italy, and Germany. The magazine’s governance balanced Ocampo’s cosmopolitan vision with input from an editorial board that included scholars and diplomats connected to Universidad de Buenos Aires and foreign cultural attachés.

Contributors and Content

Sur published original works and translations by a wide array of writers and intellectuals: poets like Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, and César Vallejo; novelists such as Jorge Luis Borges, Alejo Carpentier, Gabriel García Márquez, and Julio Cortázar; critics and philosophers including José Ortega y Gasset, George Santayana, and Ernesto Sábato; and essayists tied to Paul Valéry and T. S. Eliot. The magazine featured translations of texts by Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, André Gide, and Simone de Beauvoir, alongside reviews of exhibitions at institutions like the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Buenos Aires). Contributors also included journalists and historians who wrote on events such as the Spanish Civil War and cultural developments in Mexico City and Santiago, Chile.

Influence and Reception

Sur influenced literary careers across Latin America and Spain, contributing to the rise of the Boom latinoamericano and shaping critical reception of major works by authors linked to Realismo mágico and experimental prose. The magazine’s reputation attracted attention from literary critics associated with journals like La Nación (Argentina), El País (Spain), and intellectual forums in Paris and New York City. Debates published in its pages intersected with positions taken by cultural figures such as Andrés Bello scholars and critics from the Instituto de Literatura Hispanoamericana. Reception varied: Sur was praised by modernist sympathizers and critiqued by nationalist intellectuals aligned with Peronism and later censured during repressive regimes like the Argentine military dictatorship (1976–1983).

Design and Visual Aesthetics

The magazine became known for its refined typographic choices, high-quality paper, and collaborations with artists and photographers connected to modern movements in Paris and local schools such as the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes (Argentina). Visual contributions included reproductions of works by Xul Solar, illustrations by European and Latin American avant-garde artists, and cover designs influenced by layouts from T. S. Eliot’s contemporaries and Parisian art journals. Sur’s aesthetic aligned with editorial photography trends from studios in Buenos Aires and studios frequented by cultural elites who exhibited at galleries like the Galería Witcomb.

Publication History and Editions

Published initially on a monthly and later on a variable schedule, Sur ran through multiple decades with hiatuses and revivals; its issues collected essays, fiction, and bibliographic supplements that were later anthologized by publishers such as Editorial Losada and libraries including the Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina. Special issues addressed themes such as La Generación del 98, European modernism, and retrospectives on figures like Rubén Darío and Leopoldo Lugones. The magazine maintained archives that researchers consult in institutions like the Archivo General de la Nación (Argentina) and university libraries at Universidad de Buenos Aires and Harvard University.

Category:Literary magazines published in Argentina Category:Magazines established in 1931