HERRERA Y REISSIG, JULIO

born Aug. 1, 1875, Montevideo, Uruguay died March 18, 1910, Montevideo Uruguayan poet who was one of the most original poets writing in Spanish in the early 20th century. His poetry, extremely controversial in its own time for its innovations in form and language, was widely imitated and strongly influenced the development of contemporary Spanish-American poetry. Born into a well-to-do family, Herrera rejected the bourgeois materialism around him. Leading a consciously bohemian, escapist life in Montevideo, he was soon joined by a group of young poets whose aim was to provoke literary controversy by deliberately violating the traditional principles of poetic composition, attempting to shock with bizarre themes and idiosyncratic language. Herrera, however, proved to be a better-received and more lasting talent than his friends; his volumes such as Los maitines de la noche (1902; "The Matins of the Night") and Poemas violetas (1906; "Violet Poems") were recognized by critics for their vividly imaginative evocation of commonplace scenes of everyday life as well as for their innovative use of language. For despite deliberately ludicrous titles, such as Pianos crepusculares (1910; "Twilight Pianos"), Herrera frequently depicted the ordinary. He created new poetic forms, but he also mastered traditional forms. His control of technique was not obscured by his desire to shock. Herrera succeeded during his short lifetime, which was marred by chronic ill health, in challenging long-held assumptions about the proper subject matter for poetry and the accepted methods of poetic expression. Not until after his death, however, did he achieve widespread recognition as a major poet.