Contemporaneous individuals share age or are contemporaries.
Contemporary , from the Latin coaetaneus , is an adjective that allows us to name two things or living beings of the same age or contemporaries . For example: “Both thinkers were contemporaries but lived thousands of kilometers apart” , “Juan is a contemporary of Mariano, but he seems much older” , “Researchers believe that the fossils found are contemporaries” .
It can be understood that things that are contemporary share the condition of having the same age or coinciding at the same time . Two men who are 43 years old with contemporaries since they are both identical in age. On the other hand, a group of animals that became extinct millions of years ago but lived in the same historical age can also be considered contemporaries.
Contemporaneous individuals and generations
Contemporaneous individuals form what is known as an age group . Taking into account the difference made above (about sharing age or era ), it is possible to distinguish between a generation (people who share an age) and between individuals who are contemporaries (share an era).
All men and women born in 1982 are part of the same generation. In some cases, sociologists name generations according to certain common characteristics seen in people (such as Generation X ). It should be noted, however, that the notion of generation is usually broader than the limitation to people born in the same year.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) y Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), por su parte, no compartieron edad (Beethoven nació catorce años después que Mozart), pero sí fueron contemporáneos (aunque Beethoven falleció treinta y seis años más tarde que Mozart).
Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Hans Christian Andersen are contemporary writers.
Writers who lived at the same time
Taking the meaning of contemporary that allows us to name two or more beings who lived at the same time, let's look at some of the greatest writers of the early 19th century.
Charles Dickens
Born in Portsmouth in 1812, he lived his early years in London and Kent, places whose descriptions are very frequent in his work. During his childhood he was forced to leave his studies to start working, due to his father's imprisonment. In his semi-autobiographical novel " David Copperfield ", published in 1850, Dickens shares his feelings about his training as a self-taught writer. Among his most important works are " A Tale of Two Cities ", " A Christmas Carol ", " Great Expectations " and " Oliver Twist ".
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 in Boston, United States. He is considered one of the undisputed masters of the short story worldwide, and a pioneer in that field among his countrymen. In addition to fiction and poetry, he worked as a journalist and as a critic. Some of his notable works are " The Raven ", " The Fall of the House of Usher ", " The Black Cat ", " The Murders in the Rue Morgue ".
Hans Christian Andersen
This Danish writer, born in 1805, is one of the most recognized writers of children's stories in history . He is the author of more than 150 works, many of which form an immovable part of children's literature, and remain in his memory throughout his life. Some of them are the unmistakable " The Snow Queen ", " The Ugly Duckling ", " The Red Shoes " and " The Emperor's New Clothes ".
Mark Twain
Mark Twain was born in the United States in 1835 and was known not only as a writer, but also as a humorist and speaker. He was a very charismatic character, who knew how to gain the sympathy of great figures in the world of art, politics and royalty, and was praised for his peculiar wit. His works are known by anyone who has had even the slightest acquaintance with literature; Among them we find " The Prince and the Pauper ", " The Adventures of Tom Sawyer " and " The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ".