The mystery of Misiones, frontier of Western civilization in the beginning of the 20th century, region embraced by the Parana, Uruguay and Iguazu rivers, land inhabited by aboriginals and wild animals; the Argentine jungle, shared by Brazil and Paraguay bordering Uruguay, and its profound impact on the life and works of the Uruguayan writer Horacio Quiroga, were all brought to life for a rapt audience of more than 60 guests who came to listen to Professor Dr. Gabriel Inzaurralde at the Koningkerk on the evening of the 2nd of June.
For a photo-album on this event, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157654152450055
With exceptional knowledge, intensity and passion, Dr. Gabriel Inzaurralde presented a powerful analysis of the life and work of Horacio Quiroga, his fatal attraction for Misiones and its primitive world, his continuous search for solitude, his endless work on machines, artefacts, canoes and futile inventions, his unsuccessful business projects, his continuous failings and obsessive loves, but above all an intense scrutiny of his confrontation with his own fears and the relationship of his tragic personal existence to his prolific narrative that was part of the life of millions of readers in Latin-America and the rest of the world.
Quiroga (Salto, 1878 – Buenos Aires, 1937), a Uruguayan writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was a man tormented and always surrounded by death but nonetheless defined by his immeasurable energy, curiosity and search for the unknown that rendered him not only the most famous narrator of Latin America but also a sportsman, cyclist, photographer, cinema critic and an inventor. Quiroga had a new way of telling stories and tales; short stories of adventure, love, horror and madness. The animals of Missiones assembling together against the man, the vampires, the flamingos with skin serpents’ nylons and the monster under the pillow all came together yesterday night to honour the oeuvre of Horacio Quiroga.
The lecture was organized by the Hispanic Association of The Hague together with the Embassy of Uruguay in The Netherlands, the coordination of this event was made possible with the help of the Ambassador’s wife, Ana Trabal, and the Secretary of the association, Montse Barberá Boix.
Ms. Edith Bergansius, president of the Hispanic Association of The Hague, welcomed the guests and introduced Dr. Gabriel Inzaurralde who guided the audience with ease and dexterity through Quiroga’s life and work.
Besides the passionate audience staying until late to listen attentively to Professor Inzaurralde, the hosts H.E. Dr Alvaro Moerzinger Ambassador of Uruguay and his wife Ana Trabal were joined by H.E. Mr Héctor Horacio Salvador, Ambassador of Argentina and his wife Ms. Jane Berger de Salvador; H.E. Mr Carlos Andres Herrera Rodríguez Ambassador of Peru and his wife Veronique Miclea, H.E. Mr Fermín Quiñones Sánchez, Ambassador of Cuba and wife Amaira Quiñones, H.E. Mr Juan Jose Quintana Aranguren, Ambassador of Colombia; and Veronica Crego Porley and Gustavo Morales Bertinat, respectively Minister Counsellor and Cultural Advisor of the Embassy of Uruguay. After the conference ended, many guests stayed to share memories of Quiroga’s books over empanadas and Uruguayan wines.
