Azul is a collection of short stories and poetry by Nicaraguan poet Rubén DarÃÂo. It was published in 1888 as DarÃÂo's first major work and a major work of the Modernismo literary movement. He is commonly considered the initiator of literary modernism, a thesis that has been supported by personalities such as Octavio Paz, ÃÂngel Rama or DarÃÂo himself. However, the works Ismaelillo (1882) by Martàand Cuentos Fragiles (1883) by Gutiérrez Nájera are viewed as precursors of this movement.