Eduardo Caballero Calderón facts for kids
Eduardo Caballero Calderón (born March 6, 1910, died April 3, 1993) was an important Colombian journalist and writer. He worked for major newspapers like El Tiempo and El Espectador. He also served as a diplomat for Colombia in countries like Peru, Argentina, Spain, and France. Besides his writing and diplomatic work, Caballero was elected as a congressman for the Boyacá region twice and was even the mayor of Tipacoque.
A Life of Words and Service
Eduardo Caballero Calderón started his writing career in the 1940s. He became very well-known in the 1950s and 1960s. His most famous books include El Cristo de espaldas (Backwards Christ) (1952), Siervo sin tierra (Landless Servant) (1954), La penúltima hora (The Hour Before the Last) (1955), and Manuel Pacho (1962). These books often describe events from a difficult time in Colombia called La Violencia. This was a period of conflict between two main political groups.
Other important works by Caballero Calderón are Cain (1969) and El buen salvaje (The Good Savage) (1963). El buen salvaje even won a famous award called the Nadal Prize in 1965. He also wrote Historia de dos Hermanos (Two Brothers' History) (1977).
Writing for All Ages
Even though Caballero is one of Colombia's most recognized writers, he often focused on essays. Essays are pieces of writing that explore a topic or idea. He also wrote stories to help children learn history. For example, in his short story "Tale of Little Princess Isabel," he wrote about a famous explorer:
|
" Desde hace un tiempo vaga por los caminos de Europa, golpeando a las puertas de los poderosos, un hombre alto de cuerpo, rubicundo, pecoso, de ojos encandilados por una extraña quimera. Este hombre que digo es dueño de un secreto que desempolvó en pergaminos italianos y conoció de labios de marinos portugueses. Cuando pasó una noche en el convento de La Rábida a donde llegó a pedir posada por el amor de Dios, le dijo al prior: Puesto que la tierra es redonda, si contorneamos el mar tenebroso en dirección al poniente, por fuerza hemos de llegar al fabuloso reino de las especies. " |
"A long time ago, a tall, red-faced, freckled man with eyes brightened by a weird chimera was knocking on the doors of powerful people. This man had a secret he found in old Italian parchment scrolls and learned from Portuguese sailors. One night, when he asked for a place to stay at La Rabida Monastery, he told the prior: 'Since the Earth is round, if we sail around the dark sea towards the west, we will surely reach the amazing kingdom of spices.'" |
This part of his story describes Christopher Columbus and his dream of finding a new route to Asia by sailing west. It shows how Caballero Calderón could make history exciting and easy to understand for young readers.
Works
- ¿Por qué mató el zapatero? (1941)
- El arte de vivir sin soñar (1943)
- Suramérica tierra del hombre (1944)
- El nuevo príncipe (1945)
- Ancha es Castilla (1950)
- El Cristo de espaldas (1952)
- Siervo sin tierra (1954)
- La penúltima hora (1955)
- Manuel Pacho (1962)
- Memorias infantiles (1964)
- El buen salvaje (1963)
- Caín (1969)
- Azote de sapo (1975)
- Historia de dos Hermanos (1977)
- Hablamientos y pensadurías (1979)
- Tipacoque de ayer a hoy (1979)
- La historia en cuentos: El Almirante niño, El Rey de Roma, El Caballito de Bolívar.
See also
In Spanish: Eduardo Caballero Calderón para niños
- Literature of Colombia
