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Asian Religiosity in Latin American Literature

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Abstract

Theosophy and Eastern religions and creeds, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Confucianism, and Taoism, have influenced Latin American literature since the Modernistas. Canonical authors such as Neruda, Borges, Cortázar, Paz, and Sarduy have addressed these Eastern believes in different ways. While for the Modernista they were a escapist tool and Neruda openly rejects them, other authors, such as Tablada and Paz, resort to them to try to understand their own countries, or to find the keys of eroticism (the case of Paz and Sarduy). In turn, for Borges, Eastern religions are a metaphor for infinite time, fantasy, and utopia and for Sarduy, a path to personal enlightenment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA

    Ignacio López-Calvo

Authors
  1. Ignacio López-Calvo
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Correspondence to Ignacio López-Calvo.

Additional information

A shorter version of this essay was previously published under the title “Oriental religions in Latin American literature.” Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. Ed. Henri Gooren. Springer Publishing House, 2015. Web.

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López-Calvo, I. Asian Religiosity in Latin American Literature. Int J Lat Am Relig 2, 104–116 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41603-018-0034-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41603-018-0034-9

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