Alejo Carpentier facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Carpentier and the second or maternal family name is Valmont.

Quick facts for kids Alejo Carpentier

Born	Alejo Carpentier Valmont (1904-12-26)December 26, 1904 Lausanne, Switzerland
Died	April 24, 1980(1980-04-24) (aged 75) Paris, France
Resting place	Colon Cemetery, Havana
Nationality	Cuban
Notable works	El reino de este mundo
Notable awards	Miguel de Cervantes Prize 1977

Alejo Carpentier y Valmont (December 26, 1904 – April 24, 1980) was a famous Cuban writer. He wrote novels, essays, and studied music. Carpentier had a big impact on Latin American literature during a time called the "boom" period.

He was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, but grew up in Havana, Cuba. Even though he was born in Europe, he always felt strongly Cuban. He traveled a lot, especially in France, South America, and Mexico. He met many important artists and writers there. Carpentier was also interested in politics. He supported revolutionary groups, like Fidel Castro's movement in Cuba. Because of his political ideas, he was sometimes put in jail or sent away from his home country.

Carpentier knew a lot about music. He wrote a detailed book about the music of Cuba, called La música en Cuba. He also used musical ideas and styles in his novels. He explored Afro-Cuban culture and included it in much of his writing. While he wrote in many styles, his novels are what he is best known for. He was one of the first writers to use a style called lo real maravilloso. This style is similar to magical realism. It explores the amazing and sometimes unbelievable parts of Latin American history and culture. His 1949 novel, El reino de este mundo (The Kingdom of this World), is a great example. It shows Afro-Cuban influences and lo real maravilloso by telling the story of the Haitian Revolution.

Carpentier's writing style used a special kind of Baroque style. It was called New World Baroque. Latin American artists took ideas from European art and made them their own. He also learned from the Surrealist art movement in France. He used these ideas in Latin American literature. Carpentier wanted to understand more than just Cuban identity. His travels helped him learn about the wider Latin American identity. He wove together Latin American history, music, social issues, and art in his books. His work influenced many younger writers in Latin America and Cuba.

Carpentier passed away in Paris in 1980. He was buried in Havana's Colon Cemetery. This cemetery is where many important Cuban figures are laid to rest.

Life Story

Early Years and School

Alejo Carpentier was born on December 26, 1904. His father was a French architect, and his mother taught Russian. For a long time, people thought he was born in Havana. This is because his family moved there right after he was born. But after he died, his birth certificate was found in Switzerland.

In 1912, Alejo and his family moved to Paris. As a teenager, he read many famous French authors. In 1921, Carpentier started studying architecture at the University of Havana. When he was 18, his parents separated, and his father left. Carpentier stopped his studies to find work and help his mother. He started working as a journalist for Cuban newspapers. He also studied music. Carpentier spoke both Spanish and French from a young age. But he always spoke Spanish with a noticeable French accent.

Time in Cuba and France

In 1921, Carpentier became a cultural journalist in Havana. He wrote about new art movements, especially in music. His articles were seen as having left-wing ideas. They helped start the first Cuban Communist Party. He also wrote for and edited music and theater reviews.

In 1927, he helped start Revista de Avance. This magazine focused on Cuban nationalism and new ideas in art. It became a very important voice for new artists and thinkers in Cuba. Because of his involvement, Carpentier was sometimes seen as having rebellious ideas. In 1927, he was arrested for speaking out against the government. He spent 40 days in jail. During this time, he began writing his first novel, Ecué-Yamba-O. This book explored Afro-Cuban traditions among poor people.

After he was released, he left Cuba with the help of a journalist friend. Carpentier chose to live in Paris, France, from 1928 to 1939. This allowed him to avoid political problems happening in Cuba. Being away from Cuba helped him see his homeland with new eyes. He felt it was important to stay balanced and not be too focused only on Cuba. In Paris, he wrote poems and articles for both Parisian and Cuban magazines. He also joined the Surrealist movement, which greatly influenced his work.

While in France, Carpentier also started a literary magazine called Imán in 1931. He was its editor-in-chief. He also met other famous authors like Pablo Neruda and Miguel Ángel Asturias. He even met the artist Pablo Picasso. Carpentier also worked on musical projects. He helped organize concerts of new music by composers like Igor Stravinsky and Francis Poulenc. He also worked for a French radio station as a sound technician and producer. He directed radio plays and collaborated on readings of famous works. Even while abroad, he kept sending articles and poems back to Havana.

In 1936, Carpentier returned to Cuba for a visit. He felt he was getting tired of Paris. In 1939, he moved back to Havana for good. His time in Paris had helped him grow as a writer.

Travels to Haiti and Return to Cuba

In 1943, Carpentier took an important trip to Haiti. He visited famous places like the Citadelle Laferrière fortress and the Sans-Souci Palace. These were built by the black king Henri Christophe. This trip, along with his readings about history, inspired his second novel. It was called El Reino de Este Mundo (The Kingdom of this World), published in 1949.

Carpentier returned to Cuba and continued working as a journalist. He also worked on a history of Cuban music. This book was published in 1946 as La música en Cuba.

Life in Venezuela

In 1945, Carpentier moved to Caracas, Venezuela. He lived there until 1959. Venezuela inspired the unnamed South American country in his novel The Lost Steps. He wrote short stories during this time, which were later collected in The War of Time (1958). While in Cuba, Carpentier attended a santería ceremony. This deepened his interest in Afro-Cuban culture. In 1949, he finished The Kingdom of this World. This novel's introduction talks about his belief in Latin America's future. It also discusses the beauty of its unique culture.

Later Life and Legacy

Carpentier returned to Cuba after Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959. He worked for the State Publishing House. He also finished his novel, El Siglo de las Luces (Explosion in a Cathedral), in 1962. This book explores the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution in the Americas. It talks about the printing press and the guillotine. It can be seen as a reflection on the dangers that can come with revolutions.

In 1966, Carpentier moved to Paris again. He served as Cuba's ambassador to France. He received many awards for his writing. These included the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1977. He was often considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Carpentier was battling cancer as he finished his last novel, El arpa y la sombra. He passed away in Paris on April 24, 1980. His body was brought back to Cuba to be buried in the Colon Cemetery, Havana. A French international school in Havana is named after him.

Main Ideas in His Work

Lo real maravilloso

Carpentier is famous for his idea of lo real maravilloso. This means that Latin America's history and geography are so extreme that they can seem fictional or even magical. For him, Latin America is a place where the line between magic and reality is blurry. In his novel The Kingdom of this World, he wrote about this idea. He said, "What is the history of Latin America but a chronicle of magical realism?" The novel itself tells the amazing (but true) story of Henri Christophe, the first king of Haiti. This shows how real history in Latin America can seem magical.

Some people think real maravilloso is the same as magical realism. But Carpentier's idea is a bit different. While magical realism might include things like flowers raining down, Carpentier mostly wrote about real, but almost unbelievable, parts of Latin American history and nature.

Music

Carpentier grew up surrounded by music. He played the piano, and his parents and grandmother also played instruments. He studied music theory in Paris. Carpentier was an important part of Cuban music. He also studied where Cuban music came from and its political meaning. He admired how European music styles were changed to fit Latin American music, especially Afro-Cuban themes.

Early in his career, Carpentier worked with other young musicians. They wanted to explore Cuban musical roots. One friend was Amadeo Roldán. They helped bring new orchestral music to Cuba. Carpentier and Roldán were more interested in adding African rhythms and melodies to their music. They didn't want to just copy European styles. Their slogan was "Down with the lyre, up with the bongo!" They worked on many pieces together. Their 1925 piece, Obertura sobre temas cubanos, was shocking to some. It used Afro-Cuban music instead of the usual European symphony style.

Carpentier's love for music greatly influenced his writing. Some say that when you read his books, you are more like a listener. He used musical rhythms in his language, like repeating sounds. He also included music themes within his stories, like drums or footsteps. Carpentier himself said, "Music is present in all of my work." For him, understanding Cuban identity meant understanding Cuban music. So, he put music into his writing to explore this.

Afro-Cuban Culture and Music

Because he loved music and was fascinated by Cuban identity, Carpentier started to study Cuban music more deeply. In 1946, he published La Música en Cuba. This book looks at how European music, African music, and native island music mixed together to create Cuban music. Carpentier was especially interested in Afro-Cuban themes.

He was fascinated by how much African music influenced Cuban music. He brought Afro-Cuban music, which is often improvised and rhythm-based, into more formal music settings. Before this, these settings mostly used European styles. Carpentier believed that Afro-Cuban music had an "incredible wealth" that could truly express the nation. At the time, many white Cubans didn't want to admit how much different cultures had blended. But Carpentier was eager to explore this. He made strong statements about Cuba's past and its connections to many cultures. He helped Cuba understand its own cultural identity through its music.

For example, Carpentier studied the Contradanza. This was a very popular Cuban dance that came from a European dance style. The way it allowed for musical improvisation and group dancing fit well with African musical traditions. This created a unique mixed musical form in Cuba. Carpentier argued that the improvisation in African-influenced music led to different regional styles. This is why Cuba has such a varied musical identity.

Important Books

Here are some of Alejo Carpentier's most important works:

Novels

¡Écue-Yamba-O (1933) (Praised Be the Lord!)
El reino de este mundo (1949) (The Kingdom of this World)
Los pasos perdidos (1953) (The Lost Steps)
El acoso (1956) (The Chase)
El siglo de las luces (1962) (Explosion in a Cathedral)
Concierto barroco (1974) (Baroque Concert). This book is about a meeting of composers like Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel.
El Recurso del método (1974) (Reasons of State)
La consagración de la primavera (1978) (The Rite of Spring)
El arpa y la sombra (1979) (The Harp and the Shadow). This novel is about Christopher Columbus.

Short stories

Guerra del tiempo (1956) (War of Time)
Otros relatos (1984) (Other Stories)

Essays

La música en Cuba (1946) (The Music of Cuba). This book studies Cuban music from the 16th century to the mid-20th century.

El reino de este mundo (The Kingdom of This World)

Carpentier's El reino de este mundo (1949) tells the story of the Haitian Revolution in the 1700s. During this time, African slaves fought against French colonists for their freedom. The novel mixes historical facts with African beliefs and rituals, especially Haitian vodou. It also explores the connection between the body and spirit. The story is told through the eyes of Ti Noël, a black slave. Carpentier used symbolic buildings in the novel, like the Sans-Souci Palace. These buildings represent the power of colonial rule.

La música en Cuba (The Music of Cuba)

La música en Cuba (The Music of Cuba) is a book that studies the Music of Cuba. It starts from the 1500s, when European explorers arrived, up to the mid-1900s. The book shows how different cultures mixed in Cuba. These included black, white, mixed-race, and native peoples. This mixing is like how Cuba's two main music styles blended. These were Christian European music and the rhythm-based music of Africans and native peoples.

The book gives a general history of music in Latin America. But it mainly focuses on Cuban music styles, dances, and important Cuban musicians. Carpentier spent a lot of time exploring how African descendants influenced Cuban music. He had a whole chapter called "The Blacks." It showed the many important ways African music influenced all of Latin American music. Carpentier believed that the influence of African music on Cuban music was hidden by prejudice in the 1700s and 1800s. When the book was published, many white Cubans didn't want to admit how much cultures had blended. But Carpentier was eager to do so. He made bold statements about Cuba's past. He showed how Cuba's deep connections with many cultures gave it a unique cultural identity through its music.

Guerra del tiempo (The War of Time)

Guerra del tiempo (The War of Time) is a collection of surreal short stories. They show Carpentier's skill with fantasy and surreal ideas. The most important story is "El Camino de Santiago" (The Way of Santiago). It tells the adventures of a common Spaniard during the Age of Discovery. He is a soldier one day, a pilgrim the next, then a sailor, a colonizer, or a prisoner. He chases every dream and faces every disappointment. Another story is "Viaje a la semilla" (Journey Back to the Source). This story is special because the narrator tells the main character's life backward in time.

El Acoso (The Chase)

Carpentier's novel, El Acoso, was first published in Spanish in 1956. It was translated into English as The Chase in 1989. For over 30 years, it was not widely available in the United States. This was because of Carpentier's connection to Fidel Castro's Cuba. The novel is very important in modern Latin American literature. Many famous authors have said it influenced them.

The Chase is a short but deep novel. It is full of atmosphere and philosophical ideas. The story is not told in a straight line. It goes around in circles. A man is being chased by mysterious forces. The story begins at a concert on a rainy night. Music plays a part in helping to understand what is happening. The Chase is considered one of Carpentier's strongest novels. It is also one of the best novels written in the 20th century.

El arpa y la sombra (The Harp and the Shadow)

The Harp and the Shadow is a historical novel published in 1979. It tells about two times when popes tried to make Christopher Columbus a saint. Both attempts failed. The second part of the novel is a long confession by Columbus. He is supposed to give it to a priest. One expert says the novel is "a fictional narrative about the life of Christopher Columbus and his fate as a historical figure." It has many references to Western literature. The confession is ironic because it never happens. When the priest arrives, Columbus decides he has nothing to confess after thinking about his life.

Writing Style

Baroque Style

The Baroque style was popular in art during the 1600s and early 1700s. It is known for its strong movement, clear emotions, and confident way of speaking. Carpentier first loved this style in buildings and sculptures. But he later said that Baroque was "a spirit, not an historical style." This idea came from his background in both Europe and Latin America. It allowed him to use European styles to tell Latin American stories.

Carpentier used this style in his early works. He experimented with it in different ways. First, it was a beautiful cultural style. Then, it was a way to create a historical feeling in his writing. Finally, it became a way to show pride in Latin American culture. This style is clear when comparing his early book Ecue-Yamba-O to El reino de este mundo. In the later book, he used more formal language. This helped him avoid stereotypes. He used European standards but still made the story feel normal.

Some say Carpentier used a "New World Baroque" style. This is because Latin America did not experience the European Enlightenment in the same way. This "counter conquest" allowed writers in the Americas to try out new identities. Carpentier noted that American Baroque grew with criollo culture. Criollo means being from the Americas but having European ancestors. He said the criollo spirit itself is a Baroque spirit. This New World Baroque is often seen as a way for Latin American literature to use European styles in its own unique way.

Influence of Travel

Carpentier's many travels helped him write his novels. He used the places he saw to create familiar descriptions in his books. For example, his 1943 trip to Haiti inspired El reino de este mundo. His visit to Venezuela in 1949 influenced Los pasos perdidos. His travels to other places like Guadeloupe and Mexico also inspired his other novels. He used his real-life experiences to make his stories richer.

Surrealism

When Carpentier visited France early in his life, he met many people from the French Surrealist movement. He learned a lot about Surrealist ideas from his friends, especially the journalist Robert Desnos. Surrealism tried to show unusual beauty. It looked for unique ways to see the world. Part of Surrealist ideas was a respect for old traditions and folklore. Carpentier was inspired by French Surrealists. He learned to see his Cuban home in this new way. He left France with a strong sense of pride in Cuba and Latin America. His goal was to capture what it meant to be from these places through his art.