Literature on Argentina
- Imagining Argentina, by Lawrence Thornton, recounts some of the tragedy of Argentina’s Dirty War. After this, you will want to read its sequel, Naming the Spirits.
- Birds of Southern South America and Antarctica, by Marin R. de la Pena and Maurice Rumboll.
- Tango!: The Dance, the Song, the Story, by Cooper, Azzi, and Martin, describes the evolution of the Argentine Tango.
- Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron, by Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro, is an in-depth biography of this fascinating woman.
Literature by Argentinean Authors
- Collected Fictions, by Jorge Luis Borges, is a wonderful collection of short stories by one of Latin American literature’s most famous authors.
- Martín Fierro, by José Hernandez is an epic poem from the late 19th century (originally divided in two) that depicts the perfect “Argentinean spirit” in the form of a gaucho. All children read this book at school, and you will surely enjoy the heroic antics of the proud and lively gaucho!
- Amalia, by José Marmol, is considered Argentina’s national novel.
Movies about Argentina that we have enjoyed
- Motorcycle Diaries – about the travels of Che Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado as they circumnavigate South America.
- Evita – the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas.
- Un lugar en el mundo (A Place in the World) (1992) – written and directed by Adolfo Aristarain. A story about a family in voluntary exile from Buenos Aires living in the countryside during the military regime. A great description of life in the countryside during this time, and a winner of several awards, both in Argentina and elsewhere.
- La Historia Official (The Official Story) – This film won an Oscar for best Foreign Film in 1985, and tells about a couple with an adopted child in the 1970s who begin to believe that the child’s parent(s) is/are one of the desparecidos or “disappeared” by the government. (Considered one of Argentina’s best films).
- Roma – (2004) A young journalist in Spain is brought out of his solitude by another young journalist, and reminisces about his childhood in Buenos Aires and his relationship with his mother.
- Same Love, Same Rain (1999) – An Argentinean/American romantic comedy tells of a couple’s new love and their life in Argentina; this movie is the first in a trilogy that reflects on the life of the protagonist and his best friend.
- Night of the Pencils (1986) is a drama that tells the story of the ten young students who were kidnapped and tortured during the Dirty War in Argentina. The film describes the psychological development of the characters and provides insight into what an authoritarian regime makes people become. Based on real events and a non-fiction book by the same name.
- 180 Degrees South (2010). A documentary where Jeff Johnson retraces the 1968 journey of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia, including his goal of climbing the Corcovado Volcano in Patagonia.
- Wild Tales (2014). Directed by Damián Szifrón this movie is actually six individual stories with the common theme of the undeniable idea of the end of patience and the resulting loss of control behavior. A critically acclaimed dark comedy and music score.