Lugones, Leopoldo [key], 1874–1938, Argentine poet and man of letters. First an anarchist, then a socialist, finally a fascist, Lugones was a friend of Rubén Darío and the outstanding modernista poet of Argentina. His early volumes (Las montañas de oro [the golden mountains] (1897), Los crepúsculos del jardín [twilights in the garden] (1905), and El lunario sentimental [sentimental almanac] (1909) were influenced by Victor Hugo and Walt Whitman. Later he turned to realism and satire, emphasizing epic and patriotic themes. In his novels and short stories, Lugones ranges from naturalistic explorations of Argentine history (La guerra gaucha, 1905) to literature of the fantastic (Las fuerzas extrañas, 1906). He is also known for works in linguistics and in history (e.g., El imperio jesuítico, 1904). Lugones committed suicide at 63.
See study by G. Kirpatrick (1989).
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