HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Carlos Fuentes Macías (; ; November 11, 1928 – May 15, 2012) was a Mexican novelist and essayist. Among his works are ''
The Death of Artemio Cruz ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (, ) is an historical fiction novel published in 1962 by Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes. An English translation by Sam Hileman was published in 1964, and a new translation by Alfred MacAdam in 1991. It is considered t ...
'' (1962), '' Aura'' (1962), '' Terra Nostra'' (1975), '' The Old Gringo'' (1985) and '' Christopher Unborn'' (1987). In his obituary, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' described Fuentes as "one of the most admired writers in the Spanish-speaking world" and an important influence on the Latin American Boom, the "explosion of Latin American literature in the 1960s and '70s", while ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' called him "Mexico's most celebrated novelist". His many literary honors include the Miguel de Cervantes Prize as well as Mexico's highest award, the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor (
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
). He was often named as a likely candidate for the
Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...
, though he never won.


Life and career

Fuentes was born in
Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...
, the son of Berta Macías and Rafael Fuentes, the latter of whom was a Mexican diplomat. As the family moved for his father's career, Fuentes spent his childhood in various Latin American capital cities, an experience he later described as giving him the ability to view Latin America as a critical outsider. From 1934 to 1940, Fuentes' father was posted to the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C., where Carlos attended English-language school, eventually becoming fluent. He also began to write during this time, creating his own magazine, which he shared with apartments on his block. In 1938, Mexico nationalized foreign oil holdings, leading to a national outcry in the U.S.; he later pointed to the event as the moment in which he began to understand himself as Mexican. In 1940, the Fuentes family was transferred to
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
, Chile. There, he first became interested in
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
, which would become one of his lifelong passions, in part through his interest in the poetry of Pablo Neruda. He lived in Mexico for the first time at the age of 16, when he went to study law at the
National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...
(UNAM) in Mexico City with an eye toward a diplomatic career. During this time, he also began working at the daily newspaper '' Hoy'' and writing short stories. He later attended the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. In 1957, Fuentes was named head of cultural relations at the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. The following year, he published '' Where the Air Is Clear'', which immediately made him a "national celebrity" and allowed him to leave his diplomatic post to write full-time. In 1959, he moved to
Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
, where he wrote pro-Castro articles and essays. The same year, he married Mexican actress Rita Macedo. Considered "dashingly handsome", Fuentes also had high-profile affairs with actresses
Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...
and Jean Seberg, who inspired his novel '' Diana: The Goddess Who Hunts Alone''. His second marriage, to journalist Silvia Lemus, lasted until his death. Fuentes served as Mexico's ambassador to France from 1975 to 1977, resigning in protest of former President
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Bolaños (; 12 March 1911 – 15 July 1979) was a Mexican politician and member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He served as the President of Mexico from 1964 to 1970. Previously, he served as a member of t ...
's appointment as ambassador to Spain. He also taught at
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
,
Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...
, Princeton,
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
, Columbia,
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, Dartmouth, and Cornell. His friends included
Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...
, William Styron, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, and sociologist
C. Wright Mills Charles Wright Mills (August 28, 1916 – March 20, 1962) was an American Sociology, sociologist, and a professor of sociology at Columbia University from 1946 until his death in 1962. Mills published widely in both popular and intellectual jour ...
, to whom he dedicated his book ''
The Death of Artemio Cruz ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (, ) is an historical fiction novel published in 1962 by Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes. An English translation by Sam Hileman was published in 1964, and a new translation by Alfred MacAdam in 1991. It is considered t ...
''. Once good friends with Nobel-winning Mexican poet Octavio Paz, Fuentes became estranged from him in the 1980s in a disagreement over the Sandinistas, whom Fuentes supported. In 1988, Paz's magazine '' Vuelta'' carried an attack by
Enrique Krauze Enrique Krauze Kleinbort (born 16 September 1947) is a Mexican historian, essayist, editor, and entrepreneur. He has written more than twenty books, some of which are: ''Mexico: Biography of Power'', ''Redeemers'', and ''El pueblo soy yo'' (''I ...
on the legitimacy of Fuentes' Mexican identity, opening a feud between Paz and Fuentes that lasted until Paz's 1998 death. In 1989, he was the subject of a full-length PBS television documentary, "Crossing Borders: The Journey of Carlos Fuentes," which also aired in Europe and was broadcast repeatedly in Mexico. Fuentes fathered three children, only one of whom survived him: Cecilia Fuentes Macedo, born in 1962. A son, Carlos Fuentes Lemus, died from complications associated with
hemophilia Haemophilia (British English), or hemophilia (American English) (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a long ...
in 1999 at the age of 25. A daughter, Natasha Fuentes Lemus (born August 31, 1974), died of an apparent drug overdose in Mexico City on August 22, 2005, at the age of 30.


Writing

Carlos Fuentes has been called "the Balzac of Mexico". Fuentes himself cited
Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...
,
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...
and Balzac as the most important writers to him. Maya Yagg
The Latin Master
The Guardian May 5, 2001
He also named Latin American writers such as Alejo Carpentier, Juan Carlos Onetti, Miguel Angel Asturias and
Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...
. European modernists
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
,
Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...
and
Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...
have also been cited as important influences on his writing, with Fuentes applying the influence from them on his main theme; Mexican history and identity. 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?"


Early works

Fuentes' first novel, '' Where the Air Is Clear'' (''La región más transparente''), was an immediate success on its publication in 1958. 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. The novel was celebrated not only for its prose, which made heavy use of interior monologue and explorations of the subconscious, but also for its "stark portrait of inequality and moral corruption in modern Mexico". 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
Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...
. Described by a contemporary reviewer as "the classic Marxist novel", it tells the story of a privileged young man whose impulses toward social equality are suffocated by his family's materialism.


Latin American boom

Fuentes was regarded as a leading figure of the Latin American boom in the 1960s and 1970s along with Gabriel García Márquez,
Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (28 March 1936 – 13 April 2025) was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the most significant Latin American novelists and essayists a ...
and Julio Cortázar. Fuentes' novel, ''
The Death of Artemio Cruz ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (, ) is an historical fiction novel published in 1962 by Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes. An English translation by Sam Hileman was published in 1964, and a new translation by Alfred MacAdam in 1991. It is considered t ...
'' (''La muerte de Artemio Cruz'') appeared in 1962 and is "widely regarded as a seminal work of modern Spanish American literature". 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". The novel is heavily influenced by
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
' ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...
'', and attempts literary parallels to Welles' techniques, including
close-up A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, s ...
,
cross-cutting Cross-cutting is an editing technique most often used in films to establish action occurring at the same time, and often in the same place. In a cross-cut, the camera will cut away from one action to another action, which can suggest the simulta ...
,
deep focus Deep focus is a photographic and cinematographic technique using a large depth of field. Depth of field is the front-to-back range of focus (optics), focus in an image, or how much of it appears sharp and clear. In deep focus, the foreground, midd ...
, and flashback. 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 The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
who has become wealthy and powerful through "violence, blackmail, bribery, and brutal exploitation of the workers". 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". 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.Carlos Fuentes: Mexican writer and diplomat
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Fuentes' 1975 '' Terra Nostra'', perhaps his most ambitious novel, is described as a "massive, Byzantine work" that tells the story of all Hispanic civilization. ''Terra Nostra'' shifts unpredictably between the sixteenth century and the twentieth, seeking the roots of contemporary Latin American society in the struggle between the
conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
and indigenous Americans. Like ''Artemio Cruz'', the novel also draws heavily on cinematic techniques. The novel won the Xavier Villaurrutia Award in 1976 and the Venezuelan Rómulo Gallegos Prize in 1977. It was followed by ''La Cabeza de la hidra'' (1978, ''The Hydra Head''), a
spy thriller Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelli ...
set in contemporary Mexico and ''Una familia lejana'' (1980, ''Distant Relations''), a novel that explores many themes including the relations between the Old world and the New.


Later works

His 1985 novel '' The Old Gringo'' (''Gringo viejo''), loosely based on American author
Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...
's disappearance during the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
, became the first U.S. bestseller written by a Mexican author. 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. In 1989, the novel was adapted into the U.S. film '' Old Gringo'' starring
Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...
,
Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...
, and Jimmy Smits. 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. 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. 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 Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
and
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
television series by the same name. 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 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...
. 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. 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 Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
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". 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. Fuentes' works have been translated into 24 languages. 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. Mexican historian
Enrique Krauze Enrique Krauze Kleinbort (born 16 September 1947) is a Mexican historian, essayist, editor, and entrepreneur. He has written more than twenty books, some of which are: ''Mexico: Biography of Power'', ''Redeemers'', and ''El pueblo soy yo'' (''I ...
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. 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." The essay, published in Octavio Paz's magazine '' Vuelta'', began a feud between Paz and Fuentes that lasted until Paz's death. Following Fuentes' death, however, Krauze described him to reporters as "one of the most brilliant writers of the 20th Century".


Political views

The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' described Fuentes' politics as "moderate liberal", noting that he criticized "the excesses of both the left and the right". Fuentes was a long-standing critic of the
Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...
(PRI) government that ruled Mexico between 1929 and the election of Vicente Fox in 2000, and later of Mexico's inability to reduce drug violence. He has expressed his sympathies with the Zapatista rebels in
Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...
. Fuentes was also critical of U.S. foreign policy, including
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
's opposition to the Sandinistas,
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
's anti-terrorism tactics, U.S. immigration policy, and the role of the U.S. in the
Mexican Drug War The Mexican drug war is an List of ongoing armed conflicts, ongoing Asymmetric warfare, asymmetric armed conflict between the Federal government of Mexico, Mexican government and various Drug cartel#Mexico, drug trafficking syndicates. When the ...
. His politics caused him to be blocked from entering the United States until a Congressional intervention in 1967. Once, after being denied permission to travel to a 1963 New York City book release party, he responded "The real bombs are my books, not me". Much later in his life, he commented that "The United States is very good at understanding itself, and very bad at understanding others." 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. 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. Initially a supporter of
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
's
Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
, Fuentes turned against Castro after being branded a "traitor" to Cuba in 1965 for attending a New York conference and the 1971 imprisonment of poet Heberto Padilla by the Cuban government. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' described him as accomplishing "the rare feat for a leftwing Latin American intellectual of adopting a critical attitude towards Fidel Castro's Cuba without being dismissed as a pawn of Washington." Fuentes also criticized Venezuelan President
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...
, dubbing him "a tropical Mussolini." Fuentes' last message on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
read, "There must be something beyond slaughter and barbarism to support the existence of mankind and we must all help search for it."


Death

On May 15, 2012, Fuentes died in Angeles del Pedregal hospital in southern Mexico City from a massive hemorrhage. He had been brought there after his doctor had found him collapsed in his Mexico City home. Mexican President
Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 and 2004. ...
wrote on Twitter, "I am profoundly sorry for the death of our loved and admired Carlos Fuentes, writer and universal Mexican. Rest in peace." Nobel laureate
Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (28 March 1936 – 13 April 2025) was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the most significant Latin American novelists and essayists a ...
stated, "with him, we lose a writer whose work and whose presence left a deep imprint". French President
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
called Fuentes "a great friend of our country" and stated that Fuentes had "defended with ardour a simple and dignified idea of humanity".
Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...
tweeted "RIP Carlos my friend". Fuentes received a
state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...
on May 16, with his funeral cortege briefly stopping traffic in Mexico City. The ceremony was held in the
Palacio de Bellas Artes The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It hosts performing arts events, literature events and plastic arts galleries and exhibitions (including important permanent Mexican murals). "Bella ...
and was attended by President Calderón.


List of works


Novels

* '' La región más transparente'' (''Where the Air Is Clear'') (1958) * ''Las buenas conciencias'' (''The Good Conscience'') (1961) * '' Aura'' (1962) * '' La muerte de Artemio Cruz'' (''The Death of Artemio Cruz'') (1962) * '' Cambio de piel'' (''A Change of Skin'') (1967) * ''Zona sagrada'' (''Holy Place'') (1967) * ''Cumpleaños'' (''Birthday'') (1969) * '' Terra Nostra'' (1975) * ''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), * ''La voluntad y la fortuna'' (''Destiny and Desire'') (2008), * ''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 Mool y otros cuentos'' (1973) * ''Agua quemada'' (''Burnt Water'') (1983) * ''Constancia and other Stories For Virgins'' (1990) * ''Dos educaciones'' (1991) * ''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) * ''El mundo de José Luis Cuevas'' (1969) * ''Casa con dos puertas'' (1970) * ''Tiempo mexicano'' (1971) * ''
Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...
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) * ''Geografía de la novela'' (1993) * ''Tres discursos para dos aldeas'' * ''Nuevo tiempo mexicano'' (''A New Time for Mexico'') (1995) * ''Retratos en el tiempo'', with Carlos Fuentes Lemus (2000) * ''Los cinco soles de México: memoria de un milenio'' (2000) * ''En esto creo'' (2002) * ''Contra Bush'' (2004) * ''Los 68'' (2005) * ''Personas'' (2012)


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'' * 1972 Member of the Colegio Nacional * 1972 Mazatlán Literature Prize for ''Tiempo mexicano'' (Fuentes refused the award in protest against the policies of the government of the state of
Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...
against the student movement at the State University of Sinaloa) * 1976 Xavier Villaurrutia Award for '' Terra Nostra'' * 1977 Rómulo Gallegos Prize for ''Terra Nostra'' * 1979 Alfonso Reyes International Prize * 1983 Honorary Doctorate granted by
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
* 1984 Mexican National Prize for Arts and Sciences * 1984 Massey Lecture * 1987 Miguel de Cervantes Prize * 1987 Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters) granted by the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
* 1989 Istituto Italo-Latino Americano Award for ''The Old Gringo'' * 1992 National Order of Merit of France * 1992 Menéndez Pelayo International Prize * 1993 Commander of the Order of Merit of Chile * 1993 Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters) granted by
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...
* 1994 Grinzane Cavour Prize * 1994
Prince of Asturias Award The Princess of Asturias Awards (, ), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 (), are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals ...
* 1994
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
's Pablo Picasso Medal * 1999 Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor * 2001 Honorary Member of the Mexican Academy of Language * 2004 Prize of the
Real Academia Española The Royal Spanish Academy (, ; ) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanopho ...
for ''En esto creo'' * 2005 Premio Galileo 2000 Prize * 2006 Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Speech and Expression * 2006 Huizinga Lecture * 2006
American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...
's Golden Plate Award * 2008 Internacional don Quijote de la Mancha Prize * 2009 Great Cross of the
Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...
* 2011 Prix Formentor * 2012 Creation of the Carlos Fuentes International Prize for Literary Creation in the Spanish Language by the Mexican government.


See also

* Latin American literature


References


External links

* * * * * * * * * *
Carlos Fuentes recorded at the Library of Congress for the Hispanic Division’s audio literary archive on June 6, 1974On the death of Carlos Fuentes. KQED's Forum. May 17, 2012In Praise of the Novel. Opening Speech for the 5. International Literature Festival Berlin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuentes, Carlos 1928 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Mexican male writers Brown University faculty Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery Columbia University faculty Harvard University staff Magic realism writers Members of El Colegio Nacional (Mexico) Members of the Mexican Academy of Language Mexican columnists Ambassadors of Mexico to France Mexican male novelists National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Writers from Panama City Postmodern writers Premio Cervantes winners Princeton University faculty Recipients of the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor University of Pennsylvania faculty 20th-century Mexican novelists Mexican male essayists Mexican male short story writers Mexican male dramatists and playwrights Mexican male screenwriters 21st-century Mexican novelists 20th-century Mexican dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Mexican short story writers 21st-century short story writers 20th-century Mexican essayists 21st-century essayists 21st-century Mexican male writers Panamanian people of Mexican descent Xavier Villaurrutia Award winners