Eugenio Cambaceres was the first to introduce the naturalist manner of Émile Zola to Argentinean Literature in the late nineteenth century. The work of Cambaceres is crucial for an understanding of the period of consolidation of Argentina, the formation of national identity, and especially for the role of the intellectual in that transition. This generation theoretically and methodically built up a literature with features of its own, stressing the cultural primacy of Buenos Aires par excellence, to enhance the evolution a cosmopolitan metropolis.

By the end of the 19th century, successive waves of immigration had modified the booming Argentine society at a vertiginous pace, violently shaking its structures. The undesired side effects of the massive immigrant flow forced readjustments in the free-thinking, free-enterprise, liberal line of thought, pursued until then by the aristocratic but progessive ruling classes. The contradictions in their ideology surfaced, steering official discourse towards an often xenophobic, racist, conservative and defensive stance. Within this context of socio-political skepticism boiling underneath the euphoria of material progress, a small group of gentlemen-writers of the 1980s started to question the decadence caused by the lust for luxury mixed with hypocrisy and speculation, which they viewed as foreshadowing disaster. Eugenio Cambaceres belonged to this first generation of the liberal ruling class gifted with a clear awareness of the predicament that threatened them, and, in 1887, in the midst of the liberal apotheosis brought by the Juarez Celman administration, his finely honed class-conservation instincts led him to write En la sangre, a novel that clearly describes patrician distrust towards immigration, portraying the "criollo"oligarchy-controlled spaces as stolen or lost. Genaro Piazza, the "son of a Neapolitan tinker," is the novel's main character, but stigmatized right from the beginning he becomes a source of infectious disease within the plot. Cambaceres makes no attempt to conceal his hatred of his own character, and adorns him with all the stereotypes of the social climbing immigrant, so often depicted in 80s argentine elite paranoia, and which continued to figure in the country's nationalistic thought in the 20th century. En la sangre is a loud and sustained cry, an active attempt to rouse and activate the elite class, pampered and put to sleep by the achievements of General Julio A. Roca and his successors. Using techniques of naturalism, Cambaceres reveals his central character as fraudulent, an illegitimate being that an ill chain of events made heir to the Argentine oligarchy. The anticlimatic effect is intended to convey a double lesson. It forces reexamination of the liberal principles whose excess condemns the dominant class to its own destruction; and at the same time lays the foundations of a substitute myth, aristocratic and defensive, built upon a common base of exclusion, homogeneity and self righteousness as a privileged racial and social group. As in many other 19th century novels this self centered point of view should hardly surprise us. On the contrary, at almost the same time and as a gesture copied from literature, Latin American politic liberal discourse showed the same inclination as Cambaceres to recycle the old liberal principles into new positivist molds, and to point out in the "others" the same transvestism embodied by Genaro Piazza in En la sangre. This edition of the disturbing novel En la sangre, with an introductory essay and notes by Mara Eugenia Mudrovcic, would be very interesting and provocative reading for both Latin American Literature and Social Studies courses.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ Potpourri: Silbidos De Un Vago 3 Eugenio Cambaceres E. Denne, 1883

As "Musica Sentimental" was published the porteo society remarked its originality and its author's talent. The chosen subject -the stay of a "rastacueros" in Paris and his decease due to syphilis- aligns the plot with the contemporary socialites' essential initiatic trip to France, and its literary style with the naturalist trend of the times. Manuel Lainez -a highly influential voice at that time- said: "when a book facilitates its reading from first to last line without boring or disgusting but, on the contrary, with continuously growing interest while breeding plenty of ideas in every page, arising numerous memories with every chapter, doses of uncommon feelings and affections in every dialogue, it can be said very truly that it is written with art, that it is saturated with "esprit," that it obeys to an inspiration that nature concedes to intelligences bound to these agile, fresh convivial productions that are read and get recorded in memory with an indelible stamp." This new edition of Cambaceres' classic turn-of-the century prototype for later naturalist novels by Claude Cymerman (prof. Emeritus of Latin American Literature at the Rouen University, France, and highly regarded scholar on Cambaceres) includes an introduction that highlights the importance of Cambaceres within the River Plate society, as well as his standing in Latin American literature. The footnotes (both lexical and contextual) yield the necessary clues to fully understand the exact meaning of this work, making this edition a must for any literature course on nineteenth century Hispanic American Narrative.

Potpourri was released from press as Eugenio Cambaceres left Buenos Aires for Europe. This circumstance, plus the fact that the book omitted the author's name -though he was immediately and correctly identified- added to the highly visible position of Cambaceres in the local society, the many clues and social allusions within the text, and the style and tone of the writing, all contributed to secure it an immediate and smashing success. The scathing critique of the Buenos Aires bourgeoisie unleashed bitter comments, that fostered press runs never seen before in the country. Some readers condemned the book invoking the ultimate need to kindle the tenuous, and recently obtained, home political peace, whilst others directly related the content to the French naturalist novel and pornography. As a matter of fact the accusation of licentiousness was no more than a pretext waved by a prudish oligarchy in its efforts to hide a less than glorious social reality, deeply contrasted with the positivism and free thinking progress stance it flaunted. Though the content can appear as a fierce condemnation, even a pamphlet, against social hypocrisy, uncaring feminine education, the triumph of money and the new rich but uneducated portion of society, the writing also shows high specific literary qualities: renewal and enrichment of writing techniques, vanguard narrative structures, an agile and often humorous style, colloquial tone -even argot- and originally striking metaphors. All enough to establish the author as the true founder of the Argentine novel, leaving an unmistakable mark in the XIX and XX Centuries literature. In this edition Claude Cymerman -prof. Emeritus of Latin American Literature at the Rouen University, France, and highly regarded scholar on Cambaceres- adds an introduction that helps understand the importance of Cambaceres within the River Plate social and political circumstances, his standing in Latin American literature, and to place Potpourri among his later literary productions. Also the footnotes -both lexical and contextual- give the necessary clues to fully understand the exact meaning of this work, the first an more full of Latin, Italian, English and, above all, French terms that sprinkle the Cambaceres production.

In Sin Rumbo (1885), the Argentine novelist Eugenio Cambaceres (1843-1889) offers a graphic portrait of the decadence of the Argentine upper class at the end of the Nineteenth Century, as seen through the useless, debauched and violent life of the work's protagonist, the wealthy young estanciero, Andrs. Detailed and vivid, following the precepts of the naturalist school founded by the French author, Emile Zola, Cambaceres defines with literary uniqueness -especially for nineteenth century Latin American literary circles and society in general- the lack of "bearings" of the ruling oligarchy in Argentina and the desastrous effects of this lack of direction on the nation's progress. Given the work's particular aesthetic sense and its penchance for social criticism, this novel became -and remains- a standard-bearer for social change and artistic vision in Latin American letters which should be considered for any course which highlights fin-de-sicle nineteenth century Hispanic American Narrative in general, as well as other thematics, such as gender issues, the process of nation-building and the development of national culture in particular. In the preliminary study to this text, Prof. J.P. Spicer-Escalante examines the critical reception of literary naturalism in France and Argentina before the publication of Sin Rumbo, the response by Argentine critics to Cambaceres' opus in general, as well as the author's personal vision of naturalist aesthetics and their relationship to social criticism in Sin Rumbo, adding notes that contribute to an in-depth comprehension of Cambaceres' prototypical naturalist novel. This new edition of Cambacere's classic work - fully annotated, conveniently priced and easily available in the US.- is a must for any literature course that highlights fin-de-sicle nineteenth century Hispanic American Narrative in general, as well as other thematics, such as gender issues, the process of nation-building and the development of national culture in particular.

"Musica Sentimental" carries as subtitle "Silbidos de un vago," the same as Cambaceres' first novel "Potpourri," that aroused ill feelings in a great part of the Argentine literary circle, most probably sullen and envious due to its sales success. Carrying the stigma of pornographer the readers' support to Cambaceres was expected to be short lived. Nothing farthest appart from what finally happened. The appearance of this second novel renewed the indignation as it was the general consensus that it showed the same scandalous traits as the first one. As the book ran among readers from hand to hand the author was accused of being the "courtisan of lower passions." However Cambaceres shows a self imposing personality, owner of a particular style, artisan of a novel vocabulary that in no way can be considered vulgar, though it faithfully reproduces that particular speak of well-to-do "porteos" at the turn of the XIX Century, a mixture of "gaucho," highly educated Spanish, French, and argot of both languages. The strongest asset of Cambaceres is the strength of his thought cast in precise words. His style is sharp, cutting and dry, and turns out to be perfect and captivating as it paints realistic pictures such as the licentious life of Pablo, without a moral standing and ended in a most tragic and revolting way. The scenes are drawn with perfection of details, becoming realistic paintings that define and highlight vigorously the wandering life of the rich Latin American youngsters of the time, for whom the initiatic trip to the "Old Continent" spanned from the search of what was considered "haute culture" down to the social rubbing, without neglecting the "worldly man experience" to be obtained in brothels and garonnieres. Through Cambaceres pen appears not only the adolescent gluttony of Latin Americans but also the underlying rot ingrained within the French society, admired for its culture but whose morals are critisized unmercifully in these, considered among the richest pages of the author's production.

In Sin rumbo Cambaceres portraits scenes of the Argentine upper class at the turn of the XIX Century. Detailed and realistic the author defines with literary uniqueness the atmosphere with the initial clash during the sheep shearing scene. Then come the noon horseback ride to the peasant woman's shack, the forced seduction down to complete surrender in body and soul, and the whim of a night spent together with the sensations that assault and repulse him. The flight to the mundane life in Buenos Aires, the club, the theatres, complete the portrait of a lost man who ends up facing nature in his way back to the estancia, in pursuit of a family life destiny will end up denying him. Cambaceres shows his literary power not only through his intellectual vision and deep knowledge of the argentine spirit, but also through the language prowess of conveying the true upper class "porteo" talk, that familiar Spanish jargon tainted with semi-french semi-gaucho argot that was so particular of his contemporaries and still subsists nowadays, though veiled to the unknowing.