THE invention of a classic: Pérez Rosales’ recuerdos del Pasado

Abstract

The article explains the origin of Recuerdos del Pasado and the transformation process the book went through to became a classic of Chilean national literature. The article describes the context, and identifies the promoters that participated in this process, at the same time that points out the meanings attributed to Recuerdos del Pasado that helped in transforming the book and its author into icons of Chilean national identity. This condition secured the book’s historical significance, independent from its value as literature or its accuracy as a historical source.