Pela terra alheia: The hispanidad in the literary journalism of Ramalho de Ortigão

Abstract

Ramalho Ortigão was a Portuguese literary journalist at the turn of the twentieth century who, besides being concerned about the state of his country in every aspect (educational, cultural, political, social), also travelled in several countries of the European and American continents.
In his two-volume book, Pela terra alheia (In foreign land), he leaves Portugal and heads to Europe and his first stop is in Spain, to which he dedicates one volume. Paying attention to the colours, scents, sounds and traditions, Ramalho describes us a reality that is different from the Portuguese one, also transmitting his feelings provoked by this alterity and criticizing it whenever he considers it necessary. On the other side of the ocean, Argentina deserves some pages of this writer/traveller. In a short article, he writes some aspects of the capital, Buenos Aires, and of the Argentinian pampa. Through his perception, it is possible to see the way Ramalho Ortigão looks at the realities of two Hispanic countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.