Carlos Fuentes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes Macías (born November 11, 1928) is one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. Fuentes has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.
Fuentes was born in Panama City; his parents were Mexican diplomats. In his childhood, he lived in Quito, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, Washington, Santiago and Buenos Aires. In his adolescence, he returned to Mexico, where he lived until 1965.
Following in the footsteps of his parents, he also became a diplomat in 1965 in London, Paris, and other capitals. He has also managed to teach courses at Brown University, Princeton, Harvard, Columbia and Cambridge.
His 1960's novels, Aura (1962) and La Muerte De Artemio Cruz (1962) are widely-acclaimed for using experimental modern narrative styles to explore issues of history, society and identity.
His 1985 novel Gringo viejo, the first American bestseller written by a Mexican author, was filmed as Old Gringo (1989) starring Gregory Peck and Jane Fonda.
Fuentes regularly contributes essays on politics and culture to the Spanish newspaper El País. He is a stern critic of American cultural and economic imperialism, especially with regard to Latin America.
In 1999 he received the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor
His son, Carlos Rafael Fuentes, died from complications associated with hemophilia in 1999 at the age of 25. His daughter, Natasha Fuentes, died at the age of 29 on 22 August 2005.
Selected works
- Los días enmascarados (1954)
- La región más transparente (Where the Air Is Clear) (1959)
- La muerte de Artemio Cruz (The Death of Artemio Cruz) (1962)
- La nueva novela hispanoamericana (1969)
- Zona sagrada (Holy Place) (1967)
- Cambio de piel (A Change of Skin) (1967)
- Cumpleaños (Birthday) (1969)
- El tuerto es rey (1971)
- Diana o la cazadora solitaria (Diana, The Goddess Who Hunts Alone) (1972)
- Terra Nostra (1975)
- Agua quemada (Burnt Water) (1981)
- Orquídeas a la luz de la luna (1982)
- Gringo viejo (The Old Gringo) (1985)
- Cristóbal Nonato (Christopher Unborn) (1987)
- Ceremonias del alba (1991)
- El naranjo (The Orange Tree) (1993)
- La frontera de cristal (The Glass Border, often erroneously translated as The Crystal Frontier) (1995)
- Los años con Laura Díaz (The Years with Laura Díaz) (1999)
- En esto creo (2002)
- Contra Bush (2004)
