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was denounced as a fascist when he refused
to take a stand during the S
PANISH
CIVIL
WAR
, proclaiming an abhorrence of war no
matter who waged it. In addition Dalí
turned increasingly in these years to a more
naturalistic style (although with frequent
intrusions of surreal elements), and he even
drew upon religious themes. He resided in
the United States during World War II and
made frequent trips back and forth between
that country and Spain thereafter. Accept-
ing commissions from both theatrical pro-
ducers and commercial enterprises, Dalí
ventured into every field from ballet to
interior design and was increasingly
denounced by other artists as a charlatan.
To these criticisms he remained blandly
indifferent, delivering eccentric pronounce-
ments, publishing provocative writings,
and producing whatever form of art struck
his fancy at a given time. Although he con-
tinued to be discussed and even to be hon-
ored by retrospective exhibitions until the
late 1970s, he increasingly appeared to the
general public as a strange figure whom
they could scarcely imagine as having
dominated the artistic scene in the long-
ago era of surrealism.
independent “Union of India,” they were
ceded by Portugal.
Darío, Rubén (Felix Rubén García
Sarmiento)
(1867-1916)
Spanish-American (Nicaraguan) writer
Darío's stature is equally great on both sides
of the Atlantic. His poetry has influenced
both Spanish and Spanish-American writers.
Born in N
ICARAGUA
, Darío's family circum-
stances led to a somewhat irregular youth
and a haphazard education, but his wide and
perceptive reading in Spanish and French lit-
erature fostered both sophistication and
innovation. He traveled in Spanish America,
undertaking diplomatic and consular mis-
sions for a number of countries. It was his
appointment as correspondent for the Bue-
nos Aires newspaper
La Nación
that provided
the basis for most of his work in Europe and
the foundation of his income. Although he
had already visited Spain in 1892, his return
there in 1898 had a special significance. In
the first place he had in the interim estab-
lished himself as the creator of
modernismo
in
Spanish poetry and introduced a whole new
appreciation of symbolism. He had earned
the respect of the older generation of the lite-
rati in 1892. In 1898 he was hailed as a vir-
tual member of the rising generation. In the
second place his maturing awareness of the
world had carried him beyond purely aes-
thetic concerns. In the aftermath of Spain's
defeat by the United States in 1898 he recog-
nized the menace that the “Colossus of the
North” posed to all of the peoples of Latin
America. He understood more clearly, too,
the global outreach of colonialism. His writ-
ings, both in prose and poetry, took on a
more serious tone as he dealt with the dark
side of the human experience.
Damão and Diu (Daman and Diu)
Annexed by Portugal in 1559, these cities
and their hinterland included a total area of
approximately 39 square miles. They pro-
vided strategic and commercial support to
the nearby city of G
OA
, the capital of Portu-
guese Asia. Damão, in particular, afforded a
useful harbor, with shipbuilding facilities
and access by river to the interior of west-
ern India. Like Goa, Damão and Diu
remained Portuguese possessions until 1962
when, after being invaded by the recently
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