Carlos Fuentes
Excelentísimo Señor Carlos Fuentes | |
---|---|
Born | Carlos Fuentes Macías November 11, 1928 Panama City, Panama |
Died | May 15, 2012 Mexico City, Mexico | (aged 83)
Resting place | Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris |
Occupation |
|
Nationality | Mexican |
Period | 1954–2012 |
Literary movement | Latin American Boom |
Notable works |
|
Spouse | |
Children |
|
Carlos Fuentes Macías (
Life and career
Fuentes was born in Panama City, the son of Berta Macías and Rafael Fuentes, the latter of whom was a Mexican diplomat.[2][6] As the family moved for his father's career, Fuentes spent his childhood in various Latin American capital cities,[3] an experience he later described as giving him the ability to view Latin America as a critical outsider.[7] From 1934 to 1940, Fuentes' father was posted to the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C.,[8] where Carlos attended English-language school, eventually becoming fluent.[3][8] He also began to write during this time, creating his own magazine, which he shared with apartments on his block.[3]
In 1938, Mexico
In 1957, Fuentes was named head of cultural relations at the
Fuentes served as Mexico's ambassador to France from 1975 to 1977, resigning in protest of former President
Fuentes fathered three children, only one of whom survived him: Cecilia Fuentes Macedo, born in 1962.
Writing
Carlos Fuentes has been called "the
Fuentes described himself as a pre-modern writer, using only pens, ink and paper. He asked, "Do words need anything else?" Fuentes said that he detested those authors who from the beginning claim to have a recipe for success. In a speech on his writing process, he related that when he began the writing process, he began by asking, "Who am I writing for?"[17]
Early works
Fuentes' first novel, Where the Air Is Clear (La región más transparente), was an immediate success on its publication in 1958.[2] The novel is built around the story of Federico Robles – who has abandoned his revolutionary ideals to become a powerful financier – but also offers "a kaleidoscopic presentation" of vignettes of Mexico City, making it as much a "biography of the city" as of an individual man.[18] The novel was celebrated not only for its prose, which made heavy use of interior monologue and explorations of the subconscious,[2] but also for its "stark portrait of inequality and moral corruption in modern Mexico".[19]
A year later, he followed with another novel, The Good Conscience (Las Buenas Conciencias), which depicted the privileged middle classes of a medium-sized town, probably modeled on
Latin American boom
Fuentes was regarded as a leading figure of the
Fuentes' novel, The Death of Artemio Cruz (La muerte de Artemio Cruz) appeared in 1962 and is "widely regarded as a seminal work of modern Spanish American literature".[9] Like many of his works, the novel used rotating narrators, a technique critic Karen Hardy described as demonstrating "the complexities of a human or national personality".[8] The novel is heavily influenced by Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, and attempts literary parallels to Welles' techniques, including close-up, cross-cutting, deep focus, and flashback.[9] Like Kane, the novel begins with the titular protagonist on his deathbed; the story of Cruz's life is then filled in by flashbacks as the novel moves between past and present. Cruz is a former soldier of the Mexican Revolution who has become wealthy and powerful through "violence, blackmail, bribery, and brutal exploitation of the workers".[21] The novel explores the corrupting effects of power and criticizes the distortion of the revolutionaries' original aims through "class domination, Americanization, financial corruption, and failure of land reform".[22]
A prolific writer, Fuentes subsequent work in the 1960s include the novel Aura (1962), the short story collection Cantar de Ciego (1966), the novella Zona Sagrada (1967) and A Change of Skin (1967), an ambitious novel that attempts to define a collective Mexican consciousness by exploring and reinterpreting the country's myths.[23]
Fuentes' 1975
It was followed by La Cabeza de la hidra (1978, The Hydra Head), a
Later works
His 1985 novel The Old Gringo (Gringo viejo), loosely based on American author Ambrose Bierce's disappearance during the Mexican Revolution,[11] became the first U.S. bestseller written by a Mexican author.[5] The novel tells the story of Harriet Winslow, a young American woman who travels to Mexico, and finds herself in the company of an aging American journalist (called only "the old gringo") and Tomás Arroyo, a revolutionary general. Like many of Fuentes' works, it explores the way in which revolutionary ideals become corrupted, as Arroyo chooses to pursue the deed to an estate where he once worked as a servant rather than follow the goals of the revolution.[28] In 1989, the novel was adapted into the U.S. film Old Gringo starring Gregory Peck, Jane Fonda, and Jimmy Smits.[5] A long profile of Fuentes in the U.S. magazine, "Mother Jones," describes the filming of "The Old Gringo" in Mexico with Fuentes on the set.[29]
In the mid-1980s Fuentes began to conceptualize his total fiction, past and future, in fourteen cycles called "La Edad del Tiempo", explaining that his total work is a lengthy reflection on time. The plan for the cycle first appeared as a page in the Spanish edition of his satirical novel Christopher Unborn in 1987, and as a page in his subsequent books with minor revisions to the original plan.[30][31]
In 1992 he published The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World, an historical essay that attempts to cover the entire cultural history of Spain and Latin America. The book was a complement to a Discovery Channel and BBC television series by the same name.[32] Fuentes work of nonfiction also include La nueva novela hispanoamericana (1969; “The New Hispano-American Novel”), which is his chief work of literary criticism, and Cervantes; o, la critica de la lectura (1976; “Cervantes; or, The Critique of Reading”), an homage to the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes.[23]
His 1994 book Diana: The Goddess Who Hunts Alone is an autobiograpichal novel that portrays the actress Jean Seberg who Fuentes had a love affair with in the 1960s.[16] It was followed by The Crystal Frontier, a novel in nine stories.
In 1999 Fuentes published the novel The Years With Laura Diaz. A companion book to The Death of Artemio Cruz, the characters are from the same period, but the story is told by a woman exiled from her province after the revolution. The novel includes some of Fuentes own family history in Veracruz and has been called "a vast, panoramic novel" dealing with "questions of progress, revolution and modernity" and "the ordinary life of the individual that struggles to find its place".[33][34]
His later novels include Inez (2001), The Eagle's Throne (2002) and Destiny and Desire (2008). His writing also include several collections of stories, essays and plays.[23]
Fuentes' works have been translated into 24 languages.[5] He remained prolific to the end of his life, with an essay on the new government of France appearing in Reforma newspaper on the day of his death.[35]
Mexican historian Enrique Krauze was a vigorous critic of Fuentes and his fiction, dubbing him a "guerrilla dandy" in a 1988 article for the perceived gap between his Marxist politics and his personal lifestyle.[36] Krauze accused Fuentes of selling out to the PRI government and being "out of touch with Mexico", exaggerating its people to appeal to foreign audiences: "There is the suspicion in Mexico that Fuentes merely uses Mexico as a theme, distorting it for a North American public, claiming credentials that he does not have."[6][37] The essay, published in Octavio Paz's magazine Vuelta, began a feud between Paz and Fuentes that lasted until Paz's death.[8] Following Fuentes' death, however, Krauze described him to reporters as "one of the most brilliant writers of the 20th Century".[38]
Political views
The
The U.S. State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation closely monitored Fuentes during the 1960s, purposefully delaying — and often denying — the author's visa applications.[39] Fuentes' FBI file, released on June 20, 2013, reveals that the FBI's upper echelons were interested in Fuentes’ movements, because of the writer's suspected communist-leanings and criticism of the Vietnam War. Long-time FBI Associate Director Clyde Tolson was copied on several updates about Fuentes.[39]
Initially a supporter of
Fuentes' last message on Twitter read, "There must be something beyond slaughter and barbarism to support the existence of mankind and we must all help search for it."[40]
Death
On May 15, 2012, Fuentes died in Angeles del Pedregal hospital in southern Mexico City from a massive hemorrhage.[11][41] He had been brought there after his doctor had found him collapsed in his Mexico City home.[11]
Mexican President Felipe Calderón wrote on Twitter, "I am profoundly sorry for the death of our loved and admired Carlos Fuentes, writer and universal Mexican. Rest in peace."[7] Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa stated, "with him, we lose a writer whose work and whose presence left a deep imprint".[7] French President François Hollande called Fuentes "a great friend of our country" and stated that Fuentes had "defended with ardour a simple and dignified idea of humanity".[42] Salman Rushdie tweeted "RIP Carlos my friend".[42]
Fuentes received a state funeral on May 16, with his funeral cortege briefly stopping traffic in Mexico City. The ceremony was held in the Palacio de Bellas Artes and was attended by President Calderón.[42]
List of works
Novels
- ISBN 978-970-58-0014-6
- Las buenas conciencias (The Good Conscience) (1961) ISBN 978-970-710-004-6
- ISBN 978-968-411-181-3
- ISBN 978-0-374-52283-4
- Cambio de piel (A Change of Skin) (1967)
- Zona sagrada (Holy Place) (1967)
- Cumpleaños (Birthday) (1969)
- Terra Nostra (1975)[43]
- La cabeza de la hidra (The Hydra Head) (1978)
- Una familia lejana (Distant Relations) (1980)
- Gringo viejo(The Old Gringo) (1985)
- Cristóbal Nonato (Christopher Unborn) (1987)
- Ceremonias del alba (1991)
- La campaña (The Campaign) (1992)
- Diana o la cazadora solitaria (Diana: the Goddess Who Hunts Alone) (1995)
- La frontera de cristal (The Crystal Frontier: A Novel of Nine Stories) (1996)
- Los años con Laura Díaz (The Years With Laura Diaz) (1999)
- Instinto de Inez (Inez) (2001)
- La silla del águila (The Eagle's Throne) (2002)
- Todas las familias felices (Happy Families) (2006), ISBN 987-04-0557-6
- La voluntad y la fortuna (Destiny and Desire) (2008), ISBN 978-1400068807
- Adán en Edén (2009)
- Vlad (2010)
- Federico en su Balcón (2012) (posthumous)
- Aquiles o el guerrillero y el asesino (2016) (posthumous)
Short stories
- Los días enmascarados (1954)
- Cantar de ciegos (1964)
- Chac Mooly otros cuentos (1973)
- Agua quemada (Burnt Water) (1983) ISBN 968-16-1577-8
- Constancia and other Stories For Virgins (1990)
- Dos educaciones. (1991) ISBN 84-397-1728-8
- El naranjo (The Orange Tree) (1994)
- Inquieta compañía (2004)
- Happy Families (2008)
- Las dos Elenas (1964)
- El hijo de Andrés Aparicio
Essays
- La nueva novela hispanoamericana (1969) ISBN 968-27-0142-2
- El mundo de José Luis Cuevas (1969)
- Casa con dos puertas (1970)
- Tiempo mexicano (1971)
- Miguel de Cervantes o la crítica de la lectura (1976)
- Myself With Others (1988)
- El Espejo Enterrado (The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World) (1992) ISBN 84-306-0265-8
- Geografía de la novela (1993) ISBN 968-16-4044-6
- Tres discursos para dos aldeas ISBN 950-557-195-X
- Nuevo tiempo mexicano (A New Time for Mexico) (1995) ISBN 968-19-0231-9
- Retratos en el tiempo, with Carlos Fuentes Lemus (2000)
- Los cinco soles de México: memoria de un milenio (2000) ISBN 84-322-1063-3
- En esto creo (2002) ISBN 970-58-0087-1
- Contra Bush (2004) ISBN 968-19-1450-3
- Los 68 (2005) ISBN 0307274152
- Personas (2012) ISBN 0307274152
Theater
- Todos los gatos son pardos (1970)
- El tuerto es rey (1970).
- Los reinos originarios: teatro hispano-mexicano (1971)
- Orquídeas a la luz de la luna. Comedia mexicana. (1982)
- Ceremonias del alba (1990)
Screenplays
- ¿No oyes ladrar los perros? (1974)
- Pedro Páramo (1967)
- Los caifanes (1966)
- Un alma pura (1965) (episode from Los bienamados)
- Tiempo de morir (1965) (written in collaboration with Gabriel García Márquez)
- Las dos Elenas (1964)
- El gallo de oro (1964) (written in collaboration with Gabriel García Márquez and Roberto Gavaldón, from a short story by Juan Rulfo)
Reviews
- McCabe, Brian (1981), review of Burnt Water, in Cencrastus No. 6, Autumn 1981, p. 42
Awards and recognition
- 1967 Biblioteca Breve Award for A Change of Skin[9]
- 1972 Member of the Colegio Nacional[25]
- 1972 Mazatlán Literature Prize for Tiempo mexicano (Fuentes refused the award in protest against the policies of the government of the state of Sinaloa against the student movement at the State University of Sinaloa)[44]
- 1976 Xavier Villaurrutia Award for Terra Nostra[24]
- 1977 Rómulo Gallegos Prize for Terra Nostra[25]
- 1979 Alfonso Reyes International Prize[25]
- 1983 Honorary Doctorate granted by Harvard University[45]
- 1984 Mexican National Prize for Arts and Sciences[46]
- 1984 Massey Lecture[47]
- 1987 Miguel de Cervantes Prize[5]
- 1987 Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters) granted by the University of Cambridge[48]
- 1989 Istituto Italo-Latino Americano Award for The Old Gringo[9]
- 1992 National Order of Merit of France[25]
- 1992 Menéndez Pelayo International Prize[49]
- 1993 Commander of the Order of Merit of Chile[25]
- 1993 Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters) granted by Tufts University[50]
- 1994 Grinzane Cavour Prize[25]
- 1994 Prince of Asturias Award[25]
- 1994 UNESCO's Pablo Picasso Medal[25]
- 1999 Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor[51]
- 2001 Honorary Member of the Mexican Academy of Language[52]
- 2004 Prize of the Real Academia Española for En esto creo[53]
- 2005 Premio Galileo 2000 Prize[54]
- 2006 Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Speech and Expression[55]
- 2006 Huizinga Lecture[56]
- 2006 American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award [57]
- 2008 Internacional don Quijote de la Mancha Prize[49]
- 2009 Great Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic[49]
- 2011 Prix Formentor[49]
- 2012 Creation of the Carlos Fuentes International Prize for Literary Creation in the Spanish Language by the Mexican government.[58]
See also
References
- Webster's New World College Dictionary.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Anthony DePalma (May 15, 2012). "Carlos Fuentes, Mexican Man of Letters, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Nick Caistor (May 15, 2012). "Carlos Fuentes obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Medalla Belisario Domínguez" (in Spanish). Senado de la Republica. October 7, 1999. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Anahi Rama; Lizbeth Diaz (May 15, 2012). "Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes dies at 83". Chicago Tribune. Reuters. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Reed Johnson; Ken Ellingwood (May 16, 2012). "Carlos Fuentes dies at 83; Mexican novelist". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Mexican author Carlos Fuentes dead at 83". BBC News. May 16, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Marcela Valdes (May 16, 2012). "Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist, dies at 83". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Howard Fraser; Daniel Altamiranda; Susana Perea-Fox (January 2012). "Carlos Fuentes". Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Retrieved May 18, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Carlos Fuentes". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Carlos Fuentes, prolific Mexican novelist, essayist, dies at 83; mourned around globe". The Washington Post. Associated Press. May 15, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ Jonathan Roeder; Randall Woods (May 15, 2012). "Carlos Fuentes, Mexican Author With Global Fans, Dies At 83". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- JSTOR 2904639.
- ^ "Crossing Borders: The Journey of Carlos Fuentes". IMDb.
- ^ "Muere Natasha Fuentes Lemus, hija de Carlos Fuentes". Letralia. September 5, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Maya Yaggi The Latin Master The Guardian May 5, 2001
- ^ "Desconfía Carlos Fuentes de los escritores con éxito garantizado". El Universal (in Spanish). November 13, 2007. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ Genevieve Slomski (November 2010). "Where the Air Is Clear". Masterplots. Retrieved May 18, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Husna Haq (May 16, 2012). "Carlos Fuentes: 5 best novels". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ Seldan Rodman (November 12, 1961). "Revolution Isn't Enough". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ "The Death of Artemio Cruz". Masterplots. November 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Genevieve Slomski; Thomas L. Erskine (January 2009). "The Death of Artemio Cruz". Magill's Survey of World Literature. Retrieved May 18, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c Carlos Fuentes: Mexican writer and diplomat Encyclopaedia Britannica
- ^ a b "Premio Xavier Villaurrutia". El poder de la palabra. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Fuentes, Carlos" (in Spanish). Colegio Nacional. Archived from the original on January 7, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ The Hydra Head Fantastic Fiction
- ^ Distant Relations Fantastic Fiction
- ^ Bernadette Flynn Low (November 2010). "The Old Gringo". Masterplots. Retrieved May 18, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Carlos Fuentes: The Mother Jones Interview".
- ^ Raymond L. Williams; The Writings of Carlos Fuentes University of Texas Press 1996, page 41
- ^ Raymond L. Williams; The Writings of Carlos Fuentes University of Texas Press 1996, page 110
- ^ In the Embrace of Spain The New York Times April 26, 1992
- ^ Raymond L. Williams; The Writings of Carlos Fuentes University of Texas Press 1996, page 152
- ^ [1] Alex Clark; "A picture of mural life", The Guardian May 12, 2001
- ^ Alejandro Escalona (May 16, 2012). "Carlos Fuentes embraced Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ Marjorie Miller (May 17, 2012). "Appreciating Mexican author Carlos Fuentes". Associated Press. Retrieved May 18, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "Mexico mourns death of Carlos Fuentes". The Telegraph. London. May 15, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
- ^ "Reaction to death of Mexican author Carlos Fuentes". CBS News. May 15, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ a b Graham Kates (June 21, 2013). "FBI Foiled and Followed Author". NYCity News Service. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- ^ Noam Cohen (May 15, 2012). "The Day Carlos Fuentes Took to Twitter". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ "Muere el escritor Carlos Fuentes". El Universal. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ a b c Gaby Wood (May 17, 2012). "Presidents and Nobel winners honour Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-934824917.
- ^ "El premio en la página del Carnaval de Mazatlán". Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ "Harvard Honorary Degrees". Archived from the original on August 5, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes. "Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes" (PDF). Secretaría de Educación Pública. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ Carlos Fuentes (November 7, 1984). "The 1984 CBC Massey Lectures, "Latin America: At War With The Past"". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Cambridge Honorary Degrees". Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Muere Carlos Fuentes". lne.es. Reuters. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Commencement Speakers: Office of the Trustees".
- ^ "Personas Galardonadas y Discursos Pronunciados". Senado de la Republica de Mexico. May 17, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Miembros de la Academia Mexicana de la Lengua" (in Spanish). Academia Mexicana de la Lengua. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ Real Academia Española (2004). "Premio Real Academia Española de creación literaria 2004". Archived from the original on September 30, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ "Dan a Carlos Fuentes premio Galileo 2000". El Siglo=. June 20, 2005. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Laureates Since 1982". The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award. 2012. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ "Huizinga-lezing archief" (in Dutch). Leiden University. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "Conaculta anuncia el Premio Internacional Carlos Fuentes a la Creación Literaria en el Idioma Español" (in Spanish). July 3, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
External links
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Carlos Fuentes on Charlie Rose
- Carlos Fuentes at IMDb
- "Carlos Fuentes, The Art of Fiction No. 68". The Paris Review (Interview). No. 82. Interviewed by Alfred Mac Adam, Charles E. Ruas. Winter 1981.
- "The Buried Mirror". Bookworm (Interview). Interviewed by Michael Silverblatt. KCRW. June 1992.
- "The Orange Tree". Bookworm (Interview). Interviewed by Michael Silverblatt. KCRW. June 1994. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- "The Years with Laura Díaz". Bookworm (Interview). Interviewed by Michael Silverblatt. KCRW. April 2001.
- "The Eagle's Throne". Bookworm (Interview). Interviewed by Michael Silverblatt. KCRW. August 2006. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- "Destiny and Desire, Part I". Bookworm (Interview). Interviewed by Michael Silverblatt. KCRW. March 2011.
- "Destiny and Desire, Part II". Bookworm (Interview). Interviewed by Michael Silverblatt. KCRW. March 2011.
- Carlos Fuentes recorded at the Library of Congress for the Hispanic Division’s audio literary archive on June 6, 1974
- On the death of Carlos Fuentes. KQED's Forum. May 17, 2012
- In Praise of the Novel. Opening Speech for the 5. International Literature Festival Berlin