author
Oliverio Girondo
1891–1967
A key voice in Argentina’s literary avant-garde, this poet brought wit, movement, and startling images to Spanish-language verse. His work feels playful on the surface, but it keeps pushing toward something stranger and more daring.
1 Audiobook
20 poemas para ser leídos en el tranvía
by Oliverio Girondo
About the author
Born in Buenos Aires in 1891, Oliverio Girondo grew up in a well-off family and spent time studying in Paris and England. Those early travels helped shape the cosmopolitan outlook that runs through his writing, which mixed urban energy, humor, and experimentation.
Girondo became one of the central figures of Argentina’s 1920s avant-garde and was closely associated with the influential journal Martín Fierro. He is often linked with Ultraism and with the broader wave of Latin American modernist and experimental poetry that broke away from older styles.
He published several important books, including Veinte poemas para ser leídos en el tranvía and Espantapájaros, and remained known for his bold imagery and restless inventiveness. He died in Buenos Aires in 1967, but his poetry still stands out for how fresh, mischievous, and surprising it feels.