CERLAC Director – Alan Durston publishes a new book: Escritura en quechua y sociedad serrana en transformación: Perú, 1920-1960. Instituto Francés de Estudios Andinos and Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (Lima, Peru), 2019 (132p).
Translation of blurb:
Between 1920 and 1960 there was a Quechua literary boom in Peru characterized by the emergence of new genres – such as “costumbrista” theater, in which contemporary rural life was portrayed – and by regionalist inspirations. The authors were bilinguals who belonged to the professional class of urban centers of the southern Peruvian highlands where Quechua still predominated, such as Cusco and Ayacucho. This book examines the contexts and functions of writing in Quechua during a time of great transformations through three case studies: Moisés Cavero Cazo (Ayacucho), Andrés Alencastre (Cusco) and Teodoro Meneses Morales (Huanta). What inspired them to write theater, poetry, and prose in Quechua? By examining this corpus and placing it in its historical context, this book seeks to contribute to the historiography on cultural change in the modern southern Peruvian highlands, as well as the history of Quechua as a written language.
For more information about the book click here.