Waldo
Frank, that bridge between the two American continents,
is an author more recognized in South America
than in his own country. Eduardo Mallea would
characterize the blue-eyed and humorous Frank
as the “lucid North American,” and
Victoria would hand him the reins to Sur.
In one of her letters to the author, published
in the first issue of Sur, Victoria writes:
“One afternoon in October of 1929 we were
strolling in the neighborhood of Palermo. The
air was heavy with the feeling of a storm and
with the smell of roses, and the snow was packed
tightly on the ground, but we walked on without
taking much note of this fine setting. You were
reprimanding my inactivity and I, matching your
intensity so as not to appear less forceful, was
responding in kind. It was at that point that
for the first time the name of the publication,
which until then had been nameless, was pronounced…
Before that day, the only certainty I could claim
was that I was going to found a magazine, though
I believe that without your constant reassurance
and resolve to sieve out my doubts, I would hardly
have given a firm thought to the issue. During
your last week in Buenos Aires, our conversation
returned again and again to the idea of the publication.
Your arguments took the offensive, and mine seemed
to resemble the peaceful resistance that brought
an end to British rule in India… your moment
had arrived. You had not brought me to any definite
decision. Rather, you had filled me with worries,
scruples, and ideas. This was the spirit of your
triumph.”
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