Carlos Solórzano Fernández (May 6, 1919 – March 30, 2011) was a Guatemalan-born Mexican playwright. He is considered one of the most important playwrights in Guatemalan history. His contribution to the theater in Latin America range from his plays to articles in theater journals and encyclopedias, and essays related to the history and anthology of Latin theater.

Biography

Carlos Solórzano was born in 1919 to a wealthy family in

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

in Guatemala. In 1939 Carlos Solórzano moved to Mexico. In 1945 he graduated from the

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

as an architect, as a master and doctor of letters 1946–1948. His first play, ''Espejo de novelas'', was penned in 1946. In 1948, a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation permitted him to study drama at

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, Paris, France. During his studies in France, he became acquainted with many prominent men of letters such as Camus and Ghelderode and their influence and dramatic style would be a major influence in his later works as indeed in increasing his interest in theatrical subjects in general. Solórzano returned to

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

. He began writing a number of plays, some of which are important to Mexican theatre today. ''Doña Beatriz, la sin ventura'' (1954), ''El hechicero'' (1954), ''Las manos de Dios'' (1957), ''El crucificado'' (1957), ''Los fantoches'' (1959), ''Tres actos'' (1959) are amongst his notable works in the 1950s. His play ''El crucificado'', is a reenactment of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

. A number of his works are

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory t ...

ranging from political allegories with hidden agendas to explorations of the reason for man's existence. Solórzano represented Mexico in the first playwrighting workshop in Puerto Rico in 1960 and in 1963 was representative of Mexico's Festival of Theater of Nations in Paris with his work ''Los fantoches''. He attended the XI Congreso de Literatura Iberoamericana in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Solórzano is a recipient of the

Miguel Ángel Asturias Miguel Ángel Asturias Rosales (; October 19, 1899 – June 9, 1974) was a Nobel Prize-winning Guatemalan poet-diplomat, novelist, playwright and journalist. Asturias helped establish Latin American literature's contribution to mainstream W ...

Award (Premio Nacional de Literatura 'Miguel Ángel Asturias') given to those who excel in literature in Guatemala. He was awarded this honor in 1989. Solórzano was an active university lecturer and director. He has served as the director of the Teatro Universitario as well as the director of the Museo Nacional de Teatro. He has lectured in several universities in the United States including

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, and the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

. He was a professor at the Autonomous University of Latin America, and an editor of the theatrical encyclopedia, ''Enciclopedia Mundial del Teatro Contemporaneo'', before he died in 2011. Solórzano died in Mexico City, on March 30, 2011.

Plays

* ''Espejo de Novelas'' (1946) * ''Doña Beatriz, la sin ventura'' (1954) * ''El hechicero'' (1954) * ''Las manos de Dios'' (1957) * '' El Crucificado'' (1957) * ''Mea culpa'' (1958) * ''Los fantoches de andalucia'' (1959) * ''Cruce de vías'' (1959) * ''Tres actos'' (1959) * ''Los falsos demonios'' (1963) * ''El zapato'' (1971) * ''El sueño del angel''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solorzano. Carlos 1922 births 2011 deaths People from San Marcos Department Mexican male dramatists and playwrights Guatemalan dramatists and playwrights Guatemalan male writers Guatemalan emigrants to Mexico 20th-century Mexican dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Mexican male writers