Rómulo Gallegos

Rómulo Gallegos
46th President of Venezuela
In office February 17, 1948 – November 24, 1948
Preceded by	Rómulo Betancourt
Succeeded by	Carlos Delgado Chalbaud
Senator for life
In office January 23, 1961 – April 5, 1969
Born	August 2, 1884(1884-08-02) Caracas, Venezuela
Died	April 7, 1969 (aged 84) Caracas, Venezuela
Political party	Acción Democrática
Spouse(s)	Teotiste Arocha Egui
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature

Rómulo Gallegos Freire (August 2, 1884 – April 5, 1969^[1]) was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of some nine months during 1948, he served as his country's president.

Biography

Early life

President Rómulo Gallegos and U.S. President Harry S. Truman at a ceremony in Bolivar, Missouri, on 4 July 1948

Rómulo Gallegos was born in Caracas to Rómulo Gallegos Osío and Rita Freire Guruceaga, into a family of humble origin. He began his work as a schoolteacher, writer, and journalist in 1903. His novel Doña Bárbara was first published 1929, and it was because of the book's criticisms of the regime of Juan Vicente Gómez (an army general who had come to power in a 1908 coup d'état) that he was forced to flee the country. He took refuge in Spain, where he continued to write: his acclaimed novels Cantaclaro (1934) and Canaima (1935) date from this period.

Politician

He returned to Venezuela in 1936 and was appointed Minister of Public Education. In 1937 he was elected to Congress and, in 1940–41, served as mayor of Caracas. In 1945 he was involved in the coup d'état that brought Rómulo Betancourt to power. In 1947 he ran for the presidency of the republic, won the election, took office in February 1948, and was overthown by a military coup d'état the following November. He took refuge first in Cuba and then in Mexico. From 1960 to 1963, he was Commissioner of the newly created Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (created on August 18, 1959), and he was also its first President (1960).

He was able to return to Venezuela in 1958. He was appointed a senator for life, awarded the National Literature Prize, and elected to the Venezuelan Academy of the Language (the correspondent agency in Venezuela of the Spanish Royal Academy). The Rómulo Gallegos international novel prize was created in his honour in 1964, with the first award being made in 1967.

He died in Caracas on 7 April 1969.

Published works

• El último Solar (1920) (alternative title:Reinaldo Solar)
• La trepadora (1925)
• Doña Bárbara (1929)
• Cantaclaro (1934)
• Canaima (1935) (also published in English, 1988 ISBN 080612119X)
• Pobre negro (1937)
• El forastero (1942)
• Sobre la misma tierra (1943)
• La brizna de paja en el viento (1952)
• Una posición en la vida (1954)
• El último patriota (1957)

Further reading

• Gallegos: Donã Bárbara / Donald Leslie Shaw., 1972
• Rómulo Gallegos: an Oklahoma encounter and the writing of the last novel / Lowell Dunham., 1974
• Nine essays on Rómulo Gallegos / Hugo Rodríguez-Alcalá., 1979
• Three Spanish American novelists a European view / Cyril A Jones., 1967
• Sociopolitical aspects of the novels of Rómulo Gallegos / Earl Leon Cardon., 1962
• The function of symbol in the novels of Rómulo Gallegos / Jeannine Elizabeth Hyde., 1964

References

• DUNHAM, LOWELL. 1990: "Cartas familiares de Rómulo Gallegos". Cuadernos Lagoven. Lagoven, S.A. Caracas - Venezuela.
• MORON, GUILLERMO. 1979: "Los presidentes de Venezuela 1811-1979". Meneven, S.A. Caracas - Venezuela.
• ROMERO MARTÍNEZ, VINICIO. 1987: "Mis mejores amigos". Editorial Larense. Caracas - Venezuela.
• SUBERO, EFRAÍN. 1984: "Aproximación sociologica a la obra de Rómulo Gallegos homenaje en el centenario de su nacimiento".Cuadernos Lagoven. Lagoven, S.A. Caracas - Venezuela.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rómulo Gallegos Freire

• Venezuela
• Presidents of Venezuela
• Venezuelan culture
• Venezuelan literature