Money, Culture, and Enterprise in José Enrique Rodó

José Enrique Rodó (Uruguay, 1871-1917) is best known for his essay Ariel (1900), a work often criticized for its alleged aloofness and detachment from the pressing material concerns of Latin America, and whose most famous section is devoted to censuring the materialism of the United States. The present article uses unpublished correspondence from the Rodó Archive in Montevideo to explore part of a forgotten side of Rodó's career which tends to modify this received perception. It deals with a number of enterprises which Rodó entered into with a view to making money. Some involved the spread of culture, while at other times the goal was unadulterated financial gain. Unfortunately for him, the enterprises did not bring him wealth.