Ashes of orchids

Stories of the underworld of Buenos Aires in the early 20th century

Abstract

This short essay is about the marginal, sometimes hidden places of the city of Buenos Aires, during the first three decades of the 20th century. Its main protagonists were two visitors, whose lives would gain fame and popularity: Eugene O’Neill and Albert Londres. The stories of these two personalities, who in later years would become famous protagonists of international literary culture, contributed largely to publicize the shameful and demeaning image that Argentina’s capital was in those years. His chronicles of the “porteña” night –its countless brothels, pornographic movie theaters, gambling houses, and nightlife venues– promoted the sad celebrity as “sin city” that Buenos Aires had internationally during the 1930’s and 1940’s.