Lira popular

Many of the poems in Lira popular are centered on themes such as misery, love, violence, murder, life, death, crime and religion. Poets chose these subjects to excite curiosity in readers where the accompanying illustrations depict the conditions and circumstances of their lives.[2]

Lira popular were printed in varying forms over time. The first popular pages measured 26 x 35 cm in Chile. Over time, they grew to 54 x 38. Liras today are of similar size. Each sheet of a Lira consists of 5 to 8 poems with pictures and drawings usually created by the poets. The purpose of these drawings is to illustrate the work's theme. The accompanying pictures illustrate the poem's story. The two types of images seen in Lira popular are xylography, where rough artwork was sent to poets to be described in verse. The signature of the engraver was often omitted. However, Adolfo Reyes was responsible for many of the illustrations. He illustrated his own verses using a penknife and raulí board. The second type of image is known as cliché. These are old images that weren’t always necessarily relevant to the content, but were used simply as decoration. Titles of Lira popular are similar to titles in newspapers today; in a large font, to catch attention.[3]

Greetings to the Child of God, an image sketched by Rosa Araneda c.1858

In many Latin American countries, news traveled slowly, especially between Spain and Central and South America. Lira, aided by the printing press, allowed for news to spread faster than just by word of mouth. In the beginning, Lira popular was used to allude to events that were happening in Spain and other countries, but over time it became more of a cultural trend, eventually used as a representation of a country’s experiences and events.[3] In order to have their poetry published in Lira popular, poets were responsible for registering their names. They were in charge of making sure that their works were published and had to go out in public and work hard to sell those original works. In addition to signing his name (or a pseudonym), the poet often distributed copies in the streets where workers, peasants and artisans could have access. As it was a largely illiterate group at the time, the images and public readings helped to attract people to hear the reading of the tenths out loud.

Currently there are three full collections of Lira being displayed and held for public use. Of the three, two are displayed at The Archive of Oral Literature and Popular Traditions at the National Library of Chile, and the third is in the Andrés Bello Central Archive of the University of Chile. Over 850 sheets of Lira are preserved.

• Cordel literature