What is the name of the epic poem by José Hernández?

José Hernández’s epic poem is Martín Fierro.

The work is also known as El Gaucho Martín Fierro and is one of Argentina’s defining literary texts. Hernández published the first part, El Gaucho Martín Fierro, in 1872; its continuation, La vuelta de Martín Fierro, appeared in 1879. The two parts are commonly treated together as Martín Fierro.

The poem follows Martín Fierro, a gaucho whose life is disrupted by forced military service, violence, poverty, and injustice. Its language imitates rural Argentine speech and the tradition of the payada, a musical and poetic form associated with gauchos. Through Fierro’s complaints and reflections, Hernández presents both a social critique and a portrait of rural identity.

The poem is often called Argentina’s national epic because it helped turn the gaucho into a symbol of national character. The alternatives refer to other works or traditions, but none is Hernández’s signature epic. Martín Fierro is therefore the single canonical answer.