Carlos Fuentes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Excelentísimo Señor Carlos Fuentes
Fuentes in 1987
Born	Carlos Fuentes Macías (1928-11-11)November 11, 1928 Panama City, Panama
Died	May 15, 2012(2012-05-15) (aged 83) Mexico City, Mexico
Resting place	Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris
Occupation	Novelist writer
Nationality	Mexican
Period	1954–2012
Literary movement	Latin American Boom
Notable works	Where the Air Is Clear (1958) The Death of Artemio Cruz (1962) Terra Nostra (1975) The Old Gringo (1985)
Spouse	Rita Macedo ​ (m. 1959⁠–⁠1973)​ Silvia Lemus ​ (m. 1976)​
Children	Cecilia Fuentes Macedo (1962–) Carlos Fuentes Lemus (1973–1999) Natasha Fuentes Lemus (1974–2005)

Carlos Fuentes Macías (/ˈfwɛnteɪs/; Spanish: [ˈkaɾlos ˈfwentes]; November 11, 1928 – May 15, 2012) was a very famous Mexican novelist and essayist. He wrote many important books, like The Death of Artemio Cruz (1962) and Terra Nostra (1975).

People often called him "one of the most admired writers in the Spanish-speaking world." He was a big part of the Latin American Boom, which was a time when Latin American literature became very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The Guardian newspaper called him "Mexico's most celebrated novelist." He won many awards, including the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, which is one of the biggest awards for Spanish writers. He also received Mexico's highest award, the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor in 1999. Many thought he might win the Nobel Prize in Literature, but he never did.

The Life of Carlos Fuentes

Early Life and Travels

Carlos Fuentes was born in Panama City on November 11, 1928. His father was a Mexican diplomat, so his family moved around a lot. Carlos spent his childhood in many different capital cities in Latin America. This experience helped him see Latin America from an outsider's view, which was important for his writing.

From 1934 to 1940, his family lived in Washington, D.C., where his father worked at the Mexican Embassy. Carlos went to English-speaking schools and became very good at English. He even started his own magazine during this time, sharing it with others in his neighborhood.

In 1938, Mexico took control of its own oil companies from foreign owners. Carlos later said this event made him truly feel Mexican. In 1940, his family moved to Santiago, Chile. There, he became interested in socialism, a political idea about social equality. He was inspired by the poet Pablo Neruda.

Becoming a Writer

Carlos Fuentes lived in Mexico for the first time when he was 16. He studied law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City. He thought about becoming a diplomat like his father. During this time, he also started working at a newspaper called Hoy and writing short stories. He later continued his studies in Geneva.

In 1957, Fuentes became the head of cultural relations for Mexico's government. The next year, he published his first novel, Where the Air Is Clear. This book made him famous right away. It allowed him to leave his government job and become a full-time writer.

In 1959, he moved to Havana after the Cuban Revolution. He wrote articles supporting the new government there. That same year, he married Mexican actress Rita Macedo. Later, he married journalist Silvia Lemus, and they stayed together until his death.

Life as a Diplomat and Teacher

Fuentes served as Mexico's ambassador to France from 1975 to 1977. He resigned to protest a political appointment he disagreed with. He also taught at many famous universities, including Cambridge, Brown, Princeton, and Harvard.

He was friends with many important people, including the filmmaker Luis Buñuel and the writer William Styron. He dedicated his book The Death of Artemio Cruz to his friend, sociologist C. Wright Mills.

Carlos Fuentes had three children. Only one, Cecilia Fuentes Macedo, was still alive when he passed away. His son, Carlos Fuentes Lemus, died in 1999 at age 25. His daughter, Natasha Fuentes Lemus, died in 2005 at age 30.

Carlos Fuentes's Writing Style

Carlos Fuentes was sometimes called "the Balzac of Mexico." He said that Miguel de Cervantes, William Faulkner, and Balzac were the most important writers to him. He also admired Latin American writers like Alejo Carpentier and Jorge Luis Borges. European writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf also influenced him. Fuentes used their ideas to write about Mexican history and identity.

Fuentes described himself as an "old-fashioned" writer. He only used pens, ink, and paper. He believed that words didn't need anything else. He also said he didn't like authors who claimed to have a secret recipe for success. When he started writing, he always asked himself, "Who am I writing for?"

Early Books

Fuentes' first novel, Where the Air Is Clear (La región más transparente), was a big hit when it came out in 1958. The book tells the story of Federico Robles, who gives up his revolutionary ideas to become a rich businessman. But it also shows many different parts of Mexico City, almost like a "biography of the city" itself. People loved the book for its writing style, which explored characters' inner thoughts. They also praised it for showing the problems of inequality and corruption in modern Mexico.

A year later, he published The Good Conscience (Las Buenas Conciencias). This novel was about wealthy middle-class families in a town, possibly based on Guanajuato. It tells the story of a young man who wants social equality, but his family's focus on money stops him.

The Latin American Boom

Fuentes was a key figure in the Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s. Other famous writers from this time included Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Julio Cortázar.

Fuentes' novel, The Death of Artemio Cruz (La muerte de Artemio Cruz), came out in 1962. It is considered a very important book in modern Spanish American literature. Like many of his books, it uses different narrators to tell the story. This shows how complex a person or a country can be. The novel was inspired by the movie Citizen Kane. It uses movie techniques like close-ups and flashbacks. The story begins with the main character, Artemio Cruz, on his deathbed. His life story is then told through flashbacks. Cruz was a soldier in the Mexican Revolution who became rich and powerful through unfair means. The book explores how power can corrupt people and criticizes how the original goals of the revolution were lost.

Fuentes wrote many books in the 1960s. These include the novel Aura (1962), the short story collection Cantar de Ciego (1966), and A Change of Skin (1967). A Change of Skin was an ambitious novel that tried to understand what it means to be Mexican by looking at and rethinking the country's old stories.

His 1975 novel, Terra Nostra, was perhaps his most ambitious. It's a huge and complex book that tells the story of all Hispanic civilization. Terra Nostra jumps between the 16th century and the 20th century. It tries to find the roots of today's Latin American society in the struggles between the conquistadors and the native Americans. This novel also uses many movie-like techniques. It won the Xavier Villaurrutia Award in 1976 and the Venezuelan Rómulo Gallegos Prize in 1977.

After that, he wrote La Cabeza de la hidra (1978, The Hydra Head), which was a spy thriller set in Mexico. He also wrote Una familia lejana (1980, Distant Relations), a novel that explored themes like the connections between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (Americas).

Later Works

His 1985 novel The Old Gringo (Gringo viejo) was based on the real disappearance of American author Ambrose Bierce during the Mexican Revolution. This book became the first U.S. bestseller written by a Mexican author. The story is about Harriet Winslow, a young American woman who travels to Mexico. She meets an old American journalist (called "the old gringo") and Tomás Arroyo, a revolutionary general. Like many of Fuentes' books, it shows how revolutionary ideals can become corrupted. Arroyo chooses to focus on getting the deed to an estate instead of the revolution's goals. In 1989, the novel was made into a U.S. film called Old Gringo.

In the mid-1980s, Fuentes started planning all his past and future books as part of a series called "La Edad del Tiempo" (The Age of Time). He explained that all his work was a long reflection on time.

In 1992, he published The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World. This was a historical essay that covered the cultural history of Spain and Latin America. It went along with a Discovery Channel and BBC television series with the same name. Fuentes also wrote other non-fiction books, including La nueva novela hispanoamericana (1969), which is his main work of literary criticism. He also wrote Cervantes; o, la critica de la lectura (1976), which was a tribute to the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes.

His 1994 book Diana: The Goddess Who Hunts Alone is a novel that includes parts of his own life. It features the actress Jean Seberg. After this, he wrote The Crystal Frontier, a novel made up of nine stories.

In 1999, Fuentes published the novel The Years With Laura Diaz. This book is like a companion to The Death of Artemio Cruz. The characters are from the same time period, but the story is told by a woman who was exiled from her home after the revolution. The novel includes some of Fuentes' own family history. It has been called a "vast, panoramic novel" that deals with "questions of progress, revolution and modernity" and how individuals try to find their place in the world.

His later novels include Inez (2001), The Eagle's Throne (2002), and Destiny and Desire (2008). He also wrote several collections of short stories, essays, and plays.

Fuentes' books have been translated into 24 languages. He continued to write a lot until the end of his life. An essay he wrote about the new government of France appeared in a newspaper on the day he died.

Political Views

The Los Angeles Times newspaper described Fuentes' political views as "moderate liberal." This means he criticized both extreme left and extreme right political ideas. Fuentes often spoke out against the government party that ruled Mexico for many years (the PRI). He also showed support for the Zapatista rebels in Chiapas.

Fuentes was also critical of how the U.S. handled its foreign policy. He criticized U.S. immigration policies. Because of his political views, he was sometimes not allowed to enter the United States until a special intervention in 1967. Once, after being denied entry for a book release party in New York in 1963, he famously said, "The real bombs are my books, not me." Later in his life, he said that "The United States is very good at understanding itself, and very bad at understanding others."

At first, Fuentes supported Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution. However, he later disagreed with Castro after being called a "traitor" to Cuba in 1965. He also criticized Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, calling him "a tropical Mussolini."

Fuentes' last message on Twitter was, "There must be something beyond slaughter and barbarism to support the existence of mankind and we must all help search for it."

Death and Legacy

Carlos Fuentes died on May 15, 2012, in a hospital in Mexico City. He had a large hemorrhage.

Many important people shared their sadness about his death. Mexican President Felipe Calderón wrote that he was "profoundly sorry for the death of our loved and admired Carlos Fuentes, writer and universal Mexican." Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa said that with Fuentes' death, "we lose a writer whose work and whose presence left a deep imprint." French President François Hollande called Fuentes "a great friend of our country."

Fuentes had a state funeral on May 16. His funeral procession briefly stopped traffic in Mexico City. The ceremony was held in the Palacio de Bellas Artes and was attended by President Calderón.

List of works

Novels

• La región más transparente (Where the Air Is Clear) (1958) ISBN: 978-970-58-0014-6
• Las buenas conciencias (The Good Conscience) (1961) ISBN: 978-970-710-004-6
• Aura (1962) ISBN: 978-968-411-181-3
• La muerte de Artemio Cruz (The Death of Artemio Cruz) (1962) ISBN: 978-0-374-52283-4
• 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), ISBN: 987-04-0557-6
• La voluntad y la fortuna (Destiny and Desire) (2008), ISBN: 978-1400068807
• 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) ISBN: 968-16-1577-8
• Constancia and other Stories For Virgins (1990)
• Dos educaciones. (1991) ISBN: 84-397-1728-8
• 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) ISBN: 968-27-0142-2
• El mundo de José Luis Cuevas (1969)
• Casa con dos puertas (1970)
• Tiempo mexicano (1971)
• Miguel de Cervantes 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) ISBN: 84-306-0265-8
• Geografía de la novela (1993) ISBN: 968-16-4044-6
• Tres discursos para dos aldeas ISBN: 950-557-195-X
• Nuevo tiempo mexicano (A New Time for Mexico) (1995) ISBN: 968-19-0231-9
• Retratos en el tiempo, with Carlos Fuentes Lemus (2000)
• Los cinco soles de México: memoria de un milenio (2000) ISBN: 84-322-1063-3
• En esto creo (2002) ISBN: 970-58-0087-1
• Contra Bush (2004) ISBN: 968-19-1450-3
• Los 68 (2005) ISBN: 0307274152
• Personas (2012) ISBN: 0307274152

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)

Awards and Recognition

Carlos Fuentes received many awards and honors throughout his life:

• 1967 Biblioteca Breve Award for A Change of Skin
• 1972 Member of the Colegio Nacional
• 1972 Mazatlán Literature Prize for Tiempo mexicano (He refused this award to protest government actions against students)
• 1976 Xavier Villaurrutia Award for Terra Nostra
• 1977 Rómulo Gallegos Prize for Terra Nostra
• 1979 Alfonso Reyes International Prize
• 1983 Honorary Doctorate from Harvard University
• 1984 Mexican National Prize for Arts and Sciences
• 1987 Miguel de Cervantes Prize
• 1987 Honorary Doctorate from the University of Cambridge
• 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 from Tufts University
• 1994 Grinzane Cavour Prize
• 1994 Prince of Asturias Award
• 1994 UNESCO'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 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's Golden Plate Award
• 2008 Internacional don Quijote de la Mancha Prize
• 2009 Great Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
• 2011 Prix Formentor
• 2012 The Mexican government created the Carlos Fuentes International Prize for Literary Creation in the Spanish Language in his honor.

See also

In Spanish: Carlos Fuentes para niños