César Miró facts for kids
César Alfredo Miró Quesada Bahamonde (1907–1999), known as César Miró, was a talented Peruvian writer and composer. He created many different types of works, including novels, stories, essays, and poems.
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Who Was César Miró?
César Miró was born on June 7, 1907, in the Miraflores District of Lima, Peru. He went to San Agustín and La Inmaculada schools. Even as a student, he loved books so much that he would sometimes skip classes to visit the Biblioteca Nacional del Perú (National Library of Peru). He would spend hours reading there.
César Miró's Early Writing
When he was just 15, César Miró started his own school newspaper called "Lightning." Later, he published his first poems in a magazine named "Amauta." He was friends with José Carlos Mariátegui, a well-known thinker. They often talked about art and literature.
A Difficult Time
In May 1927, César Miró faced a challenging period. He was sent away from Peru for a short time, along with Jorge Basadre Grohmann. He spent his birthday on San Lorenzo Island before being sent to Montevideo. Later, Basadre said that there was no real reason for them to be sent away.
Music and Movies
In 1932, César Miró helped create a music group called "Sudamericano." However, the group broke up quickly after a tour in Chile.
In 1936, Miró wrote the words for a beautiful waltz song called "Se va la Paloma" ("The Dove Goes"). Filomeno Ormeño wrote the music for it. This song honored a traditional parade in Lima called the Procession of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Later, in Los Angeles, California, César Miró had an idea for a movie. It was going to show how Latin Americans living in the USA felt about their home countries. The movie was called "Gitanos en Hollywood" ("Gypsies in Hollywood"). Miró was in charge of the project. Sadly, the person funding the movie decided not to go forward with it.
The Song "Todos Vuelven"
Even though the movie wasn't made, César Miró had already written some words for a song for it. When he returned to Lima, he finished the poem. In 1941, a famous singer named Jesús Vásquez sang this song for the first time. It was called "Todos Vuelven" ("Everybody Returns").
The song quickly became very popular. Its first lines mean: "Everyone returns to the land where they were born, to the amazing magic of its sun. Everyone returns to the place where they lived, where perhaps more than one love grew."
"Malabrigo" and Later Life
Another one of César Miró's songs, a tondero called "Malabrigo," also became very popular. A tondero is a traditional Peruvian dance and music style. A writer named José María Arguedas wanted to make a movie about fishermen. He found the perfect place, the port of Malabrigo. The movie was never filmed, but the song was already written. Like "Todos Vuelven," it became a hit with music by Alcides Carreño.
For the rest of his life, César Miró worked in newspapers, radio, and television. He was also the president of APDAYC, a group for Peruvian authors and composers. He even served as an ambassador for Peru at UNESCO. UNESCO is a special organization that works to help achieve world peace and security through education, science, and culture. César Miró passed away on November 8, 1999, in Lima, Peru, at the age of 92.
Awards and Recognition
César Miró received an important honor for his work:
- National Cultural Award (Peru)
Famous Songs by César Miró
Here are some of the popular songs César Miró wrote:
- Todos Vuelven
- Malabrigo
- Se va la Paloma
Books Written by César Miró
César Miró wrote many books, including:
- La Masacre de los Coroneles (The Massacre of the Colonels)
- Cielo y Tierra de Santa Rosa (Sky and Land of Santa Rosa)
- La Mariscala (The Marshall’s Wife)
- Los íntimos de La Victoria (The Secrets of La Victoria)
- Ricardo Palma
- El Patriarca de las Tradiciones (The Patriarch of Traditions)
- La Ciudad del Río Hablador (The City of Río Hablador)
- Mariátegui, el tiempo y los hombres (Mariátegui, the Time and the Men)
See also
In Spanish: César Miró para niños
