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Misunderstood in his native Chile, the young controversial poet Vicente Huidobro (1893-1948), originator of creacionismo, affiliated himself with the Vanguard movement in Paris in 1916. Soon, Huidobro's original creacionismo was to become identified with the cubist aesthetic it closely resembled. In Paris, Huidobro's French and Spanish poetic creacionismo was both prolific and well-received. His eight volumes of poetry published from 1916 to 1925 were followed six years later by his challenging work, Altazor, o el viaje en paracaidas (1931), considered a masterpiece now, although drawing minimal scholarly attention to date. Altazor marks the poet's departure, as much from all absolutes, and from his earlier "creationist" myths, as from other poetic influences. In 1941, after experimenting with prose for several years, Huidobro published El ciudadano del olvido and Ver y palpar, two volumes of poetry which depart from creacionismo. These were the last poetic works the poet would publish before his untimely death.
The main focus of this dissertation deals with the new mythical poetic quest in Vicente Huidobro's El ciudadano del olvido, a book largely overlooked so far by Huidobro's critics. The first chapter of the dissertation details Huidobro's critics. The first chapter of the dissertation details Huidobro's life and critics. An overview of the poet's important creationist work is found in the second chapter. In chapter three, a review of Altazor attempts, mainly, to show the process of demythification from creacionismo. Chapter four, the main thrust of this study, focuses on the remythification of the poetic voice, and the new metapoetic quest in El ciudadano del olvido, made possible by Altazor. The new poetic quest appears as a very personal, mythical and mystical one, which often parallels the techniques seen in surrealist poetry. Many of Huidobro's earlier creationist poetic themes and imagery will be seen in a new light in Ciudadano, along with innovations brought about by Altazor, such as a new and deep expression of pathos in Huidobro's work and the appearance of a significantly pivotal "woman" figure who has the power, at times, either to aid, or obstruct the quest. Of great importance also, is the mythical quest for atavistic roots, or "origins" of a "pure" poetic voice. Permeated by an obsessive quest for poetic transcendence, Ciudadano becomes the vehicle through which the poetic voice, literally struggles to reach the pinnacle of immortality--that final vindication for a "misunderstood" poetic voice. A fifth and final chapter summarizes the dissertation.