Martín Fierro (1924-27) holds a distinguished place among the huge proliferation of vanguard publications that appeared in Argentina, and more specifically in Buenos Aires, during the 1920s. Martín Fierro was directed first and foremost by Evar Méndez; although, in 1925 it was collaboratively led by Oliverio Girondo, Eduardo J. Bullrich, Sergio Piñero, and Alberto Prebisch, in addition to Méndez. Contributors to Martín Fierro included the great Argentinean writers Girondo, Ricardo Molinari, Leopoldo Marechal, and Jorge Luis Borges, among others; as well as contributions from the artists Emilio Pettoruti, Xul Solar, and Norah Borges.
Martín Fierro halted publication when, preceding the presidential candidacy of Hipólito Yrigoyen, the core group was divided between those that supported the magazine assuming a political stance and those that did not—this internal bickering continued until the publication’s end. It is important to recognize that Martín Fierro was seen in its time as a key fixture of the vanguard in Argentina. This text was part of a tribute supplement to the writer Ramón Gómez de la Serna, a central figure in the Spanish vanguard, which was the impetus for the writer’s scheduled trip to Buenos Aires, which ultimately never happened. The supplement was featured in Martín Fierro no. 19 (July 18, 1925). The writers that constituted the heart of the publication greatly admired the Spanish writer, principally for his constant commitment to artistic innovation. In 1931, Gómez de la Serna finally arrived in Buenos Aires, and from 1936 (during the period of the Spanish Civil War) until his death, he resided in the capital.
