Victor Domingo Silva

Víctor Domingo Silva Endeiza (Tongoy, Coquimbo Region, May 12, 1882-Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region, August 20, 1960) was a writer, playwright, poet, journalist and Chilean deputy of Basque origin, who was awarded the National Prize for Literature in 1954 and the National Prize for Theater in 1959.

Biography

He was born in the town of Tongoy when this resort enjoyed high economic development as a result of the port-mining industry in the area. Son of a cultured family, his parents instilled in him a love of letters.

In 1901 he moved to Valparaíso, a city where he lived for fifteen years, mainly at 55 Taqueadero Street in Playa Ancha. In the company of other writers, he founded the Valparaíso Youth Athenaeum and the Popular University. Later, he dedicated himself to politics and was elected deputy in 1906 for the provinces of Copiapó, Chañaral, Vallenar and Freirina. At this same time, he began publishing his work in the newspaper El Mercurio de Valparaíso , where he used the pseudonym Cristóbal de Zárate .

He was called the "national poet" because he dedicated much of his poetry to national themes, such as his famous poem Al pie de la Bandera, in which he exalted his patriotism. He maintained a close friendship with the poets Zoilo Escobar and Carlos Pezoa Véliz, and with the novelists Daniel de la Vega, Joaquín Edwards Bello and Augusto D'Halmar.

He entered diplomacy in 1928, was assigned to Argentine Patagonia and became a promoter of the establishment of the province of Aysén. In 1928 he traveled as Consul General of Chile in Madrid and returned to the country in 1948.

He received several awards, among which the aforementioned National Prize for Literature on Friday, July 23, 1954 and the Theater Prize in 1959 stood out. In Chile he was a literary advisor to the company Zig-Zag, founder of the Society of Authors, member of the Ateneo de Santiago and the Chilean Academy of Language. After an outstanding career in national literature, he died in the Chilean capital at the age of 78.

Work

His main works are:

• Adolescence (1906)
• The Defeat (1908)
• Naval Romancer (1910)
• Winter swallow (1912, novel)
• The tragic pampa (1921, novel)
• Sticker brava (1923, novel)
• The soul of Chile (1928, poetic anthology)
• The Mestizo Alejo (1934)
• Ultramar Poems (1935)
• The puppy (1937)
• The Creole

In theater the following stand out:

• Payment of a debt (1908)
• Our victims (1912)
• Dead waters (1921)
• The King of Araucanía (1936)
• Fire in the mountain (1938)
• The sun hasn't set yet (1950)
• The storm is coming
• The man of the house

Filmography

• Clowns are leaving (1921, actor)
• The push of a race (1922, screenwriter)

Filmography