Crónica is a form of literary journalism associated with Latin America that combines factual reporting with literary techniques. The term has been used for several forms of nonfiction writing, including reportage, profiles, interviews and newspaper or magazine columns. The modern literary crónica developed in the late 19th century alongside Spanish American modernismo, although scholars have also debated its relationship to earlier colonial chronicles such as the Crónicas de Indias.
Description
Defining crónica precisely can be difficult because the genre has developed in varied forms and continues to evolve. It may range from short pieces to long-form works and can incorporate different literary forms and techniques. As a hybrid of journalism and literature, crónica combines factual reporting with narrative and stylistic techniques more commonly associated with fiction.New Latin American Journalistic Crónica, Emotions and Hidden Signs of Reality
Antonio Castillo identifies three recurring characteristics of contemporary journalistic crónica: the accounts are based on real events, are written using techniques associated with fiction, and often engage with social issues. Some longer works associated with the genre have been described as non-fiction novels. First-hand testimony may also form part of the narrative approach. Narrative voice is an important element of crónica, with writers often combining first-hand observation or testimony with literary techniques to shape factural events into a narrative. Although related in name and form, the Spanish American crónica is dinstinct from the Brazilian crônica.
Historical roots
Some scholars have connected the Latin American crónica with the colonial tradition of the cronista, or chronicler. Early chronicles combined observation, testimony and narrative, and examples of this broader tradition include the writings of Antonio Pigafetta, the Crónica Mexicayotl and the Crónicas de Indias. The relationship between these colonial chronicles and the modern journalistic crónica, however, remains a subject of scholarly debate.
The modern crónica developed more clearly in the late nineteenth century alongside Spanish American modernismo and the expansion of newspaper journalism. Writers including José Martí and Rubén Darío used the form extensively, combining reporting on contemporary events and urban life with literary techniques.
During the twentieth century, the genre became increasingly associated with political and social commentary. By the early 1970s, writers such as Elena Poniatowska and Carlos Monsiváis were using crónica to address political and social events, while figures including Gabriel García Marquez and Rodolfo Walsh also contributed to the development of literary journalism in Latin America. Works associated with this period include Tomás Eloy Martínez's Passion According to Trelew and Walsh's Operación Masacre.
21st century In the 21st century, crónica has continued to evolve as a form of socially engaged literary journalism. Contemporary works address subjects including gay rights, drug policy, access to water, violence, drug-trafficking cultures and the legacy of post-dictatorship societies, while the Internet has also become an important platform for the genre.
Examples of the contemporary crónica include Francisco Goldman's The Interior Circuit and Abraham Jiménez Enoa's La Isla Oculta. Many urban cronistas also work as journalists, while some write fiction or appear in radio and television.
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