The Spanish American Modernists were a group of writers whose relationship with journalism, along with their desire to define literature, to seek out its “essence,” led them to a profoundly critical understanding of the nature of writing and of the literary craft. It is true that many other writers, in both Europe and North America, were also involved in journalism around the turn of the century, but what makes the Spanish American Modernists unique is the degree to which even the major figures in that movement, such as José Martí, Rubén Darío and José Enrique Rodó, depended on journalism not only to earn a living but also to publish their writings. The Modernists also exhibited an abiding concern with literary theory that, in my view, derived as much from their experience as journalists as from their acquaintance with philology. But before commenting on the Modernists' experience with journalism and its effect on their work, I will review the nature of Spanish American Modernism.