Around 10,000 new books are edited annually in Argentina, and many of them are the work of local poets, novelists, essayists, dramatic artists, writers, and scientists. The international Book Fair, that takes place every autumn in Buenos Aires, gathers hundreds of thousands of attendants that are able to get in touch with books and authors from the five continents. It is also important to point out that the main Argentine cities have "never closing" bookstores and that European, American and world "best sellers" are exhibited in Buenos Aires bookstores every day.

 

Romantic literature appeared in Argentina once the independence and unity were settled. Domingo F. Samiento, Esteban Echeverria y Olegario V. Andrade wrote masterpieces. José Mármol was the author of the first Argentine novel, “Amalia.”During the second half of the XIX century the typically Argentine and epic characteristics appeared in the literary production through the gaucho's poetry. Hilario Ascasubi, Estanislao del Campo, and Rafael Obligado are the greatest names in this genre. But it was “Martin Fierro” by José Hernández which gained an important place in the universal literature. Translated in to 54 languages, it shows the qualities proper of our countrymen in universal language of values, struggles and greatness. Other names to remember from the XIX Century are Lucio V. López, José María Miró, Miguel Cané, Lucio V. Mansilla and Leopoldo Lugones. Alfonsina Storni, Baldomero Fernández Moreno, Gustavo Martínez Zuviria and Roberto Arlt also influenced their society during the first half of this century.

 

Contemporary authors such as Jorge Luis Borges, Leopoldo Marechal, Victoria Ocampo, Ernesto Sábato, Eduardo Mallea, Horacio Quiroga, Manuel Mujica Láinez, Oliviero Girondo, Julio Cortázar, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Marco Denevi, Juan José Saer and Manuel Puig are examples of sensitive interpreters of loneliness, passions, social behaviour and customs. Their works, having been translated into different languages, are very well known by literary people and intelectuals all over the world.