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THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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A Novelist of The Heartland
As his hopes for overthrowing the tyranny dissipated, Billini withdrew from politics—probably around
1891—and began writing the novel that would become his most famous text. He set the plot in Baní, which he
considered his hometown, although he was incidentally born in Santo Domingo. In the pages of
Baní o Engra-
cia y Antoñita,
he demonstrates his profound understanding of everyday existence in this world some twenty
years earlier. He was thus inspired to recreate it as a way to make statements on the reality of the country and,
particularly, the phenomenon of civil war.
There were only a few precedents for this kind of literary work. The most important were the works
produced locally, imbued with a romanticism that diverged from contemporary reality, taking refuge in the
lost paradise of the native people. Billini always tried to avoid this genre, although he continued to be inop-
portunely branded by the canons of romanticism. When he was young, he had composed several poetic and
fictional texts that had not been published, because he had sacrificed his vocation as a writer to actively pursue
the protection of national independence.
Andrés Blanco reports that in 1887, Billini announced in
El Monitor
that the play
Una flor del Ozama
would
be published. It never appeared; however, it was recovered by the Baní Historical Archive. Two and a half
decades passed before the warrior journalist found the serenity to begin composing the novel.
He began working within a domain that was admittedly not his forte, which is surprising considering his
interest in literature from a young age and his vast experience in journalism. The composition of
Engracia y
Antoñita
does not compare to the linguistic command demonstrated in his articles and essays. We know from
correspondence that he decided to incorporate Meriño’s critical observations as he conceived each chapter.
Meriño painstakingly pored over the text, generating suggestions to form and content. His friend, poet José
Joaquín Pérez, also contributed editorial advice to the novel.
References to authors such as Francois-René de Chateaubriand reveal that there was a revival of the pre-
cepts of romanticism. He was interested in interweaving different planes, such as the description of the land-
scape as a backdrop to the emotions of the novel’s heroes. Patriarchal customs of the local environment were
also elevated to an idyllic degree. The plot revolves around characters representative of different mindsets. En-
gracia and Antoñita, for example, are two simple young urban girls who yearn for true love, a clean lifestyle,
and cultural fulfillment. All of them are based on stereotypes that represent moral principles. Enrique Gómez
is the unscrupulous man who takes advantage of the young girls’ naiveté; Don Pancracio is the attorney inter-
ested in public affairs; Candelaria Ozán is the personification of evil, aiding the
Baecistas
and endorsing their
schemes.
Behind the love affairs, the lies, and the unfortunate outcome for the young girls, the novel’s focal point
shifts to its historical-political context. The story is set in a field of emotions where originality is found in the
descriptions of the political climate and in the introduction of interpretive hints at the phenomenon of rev-
olution, but the text was unable to dig deeper. It does not truly go beyond black and white. Ultimately, the
overarching theme can be interpreted as a struggle between good and evil.
The events of the novel take place at a time when Buenaventura Báez supporters had staged an uprising
against Cabral’s second administration. A precise date and time are not mentioned, most likely so that the
novel would not be interpreted as a historical text. Don Postumio, a local leader who embodied the civilized
world, obviously identified with those who were known as the
azules
or
cacoses.
Their enemies were nothing
less than criminals borrowed from real life, well-known by their nicknames, especially Solito, Baúl, and Musié.
He also alluded to others such as Llinito, Sindo, Estrella, Ventana, Mandé, La Guinea, and La Chiva. The writ-
er was intrigued by these characters who he classified as the epitome of the era. Some of them were the mur-
derers of Don Antonio Díaz, a merchant from Santo Domingo who sought refuge in Baní for personal reasons.
Their motive was the quest for a trove of gold coins that Díaz had concealed. Engracia, who knew particulars
about the treasure, was resolute in ensuring that it was entrusted to the heirs of the deceased. When the
bae-