Gustavo Gac-Artigas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gustavo Gac-Artigas
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| Born | 1944 |
| Nationality | Chilean American |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Spouse(s) | Priscilla Gac-Artigas |
Gustavo Gac-Artigas is a Chilean American writer, playwright, actor, theater director, and editor. He was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1944. Since 1995, he has lived in New Jersey, United States.
Gustavo is a member of important groups like the North American Academy of the Spanish Language (ANLE). He is also part of PEN-Chile and PEN America, which are organizations for writers.
His poetry has been translated into many languages, including English, French, Romanian, and Italian. His poems have appeared in various literary magazines and anthologies. These include collections like Segunda antología poética de la Feria Internacional del Libro de Nueva York (2022).
He has also written opinion pieces, called op-eds, for news agencies and cultural magazines since 2015.
Contents
Art Without Borders: The Gac-Artigas Foundation
Gustavo Gac-Artigas and his wife, Priscilla Gac-Artigas, created a special exhibit. Priscilla is a professor of Latin American literature at Monmouth University in NJ.
The Memories, Geography of a Decade Exhibit
Their exhibit is called Memories, Geography of a Decade: Chile 1973-1983. It shows important moments from Chile's history. The exhibit includes:
- 45 original art prints by famous artists.
- 25 posters that show cultural events in Europe.
- 50 pictures from the 1973 political changes in Chile.
- 25 photos of performances by a theater group called Théâtre de la Résistance-Chili. This group was formed by Chilean artists living in Paris after the changes.
The Memorias exhibit has been shown at several universities and cultural centers. These include the University of Pennsylvania and Instituto Cervantes in New York.
Gustavo Gac-Artigas's Life Story
Early Travels and Theater Work
In 1968, Gustavo traveled to Bulgaria for a youth festival. He also visited Czechoslovakia to see the changes happening during the Prague Spring. When he returned to Chile, he left college.
He then started a journey through Latin America with a play called Poetry Mail. This play used poems and songs, mixed with news from local newspapers. He traveled from Chile all the way to Bogota, Colombia. In Colombia, he worked with well-known theater artists.
Theater in Chile
In 1971, Gustavo returned to Chile. He started and directed an experimental theater group called Theatre del Cobre (TEC). This group worked in a cultural center at the El Teniente copper mine.
TEC's last play in Chile was Freedom, Freedom. It was performed at the Chuquicamata mine in northern Chile. The play was about a group of people who did not agree with the political changes happening in 1973. The last performance ended on September 11, 1973.
Difficult Times and Exile
On September 11, 1973, Gustavo Gac-Artigas was taken into custody. He was held as a political prisoner. After some months, he was released and left Chile. He went to Paris, France, to live in exile.
In Paris, he and Colombian actress Perla Valencia started a new theater group. It was called Théâtre de la Résistance-Chili. They traveled around Europe, performing in many international festivals.
In 1984, Gustavo tried to go back to Chile. However, his name was on a list of people not allowed to enter the country. This was because he was seen as a "danger to the internal security of the State."
After this, his theater group traveled through Latin America. They performed in countries like Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. After a year, Gustavo was sent back to Europe, this time to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. He had lost his political refugee status in France because he had been away for a year.
From 1986 to 1989, he continued his theater work in the Netherlands. His group performed in festivals there. In 1989, he won the Poetry Park Award for his story Dr. Zamenhofstraat.
Life in New Jersey
In 1995, Gustavo Gac-Artigas moved to New Jersey, United States. He still lives there today and continues to write.
In 2018, his novel Y todos éramos actores, un siglo de luz y sombra (And All of Us Were Actors, A Century Of Light And Shadow) won an award. The English version, translated by Andrea G. Labinger, was a runner-up for the International Latino Book Award for Best Fiction Book in Translation. In 2025, this novel won the American Legacy Award for Cross-Genre novel.
Written Works
Novels
- Y Todos Éramos Actores, un Siglo de Luz y Sombra (And All of Us Were Actors, A Century Of Light And Shadow) (2016)
- English edition translated by Andrea G. Labinger (2017).
- It Was A Time To Dream (1992)
- Second edition: It Was Time To Dream Of The Pregnant Birdies (2016)
- And The Earth Was Round (1993)
- Second edition: And The Earth Was Round (2016)
- Ado’s Plot of Land (2002)
- An Ordinary Murder (1994)
Non-Fiction
- Waiting for the Revolution: Cuba: The Unfinished Journey (2019)
College Textbooks
- To The Point: a complete reference manual for Spanish grammar (1999)
- Sans Détour: a complete reference manual for French grammar (1999)
- Roadmap To The Culture And Civilization Of Latin America (2006, updated 2012)
Anthologies
- Anthology Of Songs Of Struggle And Hope. Co-author: Perla Valencia (1973)
Awards and Recognitions
Gustavo Gac-Artigas has received many awards for his writing and his overall work.
Awards for Literary Texts
- Winner American Legacy Book Awards 2025 for And All of Us Were Actors, A Century of Light and Shadow.
- Finalist International Book Award, 2025, for Confieso que escribo/I Confess That I Write.
- Finalist American Legacy Book Awards 2025 for the poetry collection deseos/longings/j’aimerais tant.
- Finalist American Legacy Book Awards 2025 for Waiting for the Revolution, Cuba, the Unfinished Journey.
- “Ossi di seppia” award for a collection of poems from a foreign author. Italy, 2025.
- Filmscript: CANTO A LA MEMORIA: A POETIC JOURNEY, AN ODE TO MEMORY:
- Winner in two categories: “Best Feature Script” and “Best True Story Script” (World Film Festival-France. January 2025).
- Silver Award Winner: Hispanic International Film Festival. March 2025.
- Honorable Mention International Latino Book Award, 2024, for hombre de américa/man of the américas.
- Honorable Mention International Latino Book Award, 2024, for Confieso que escribo/I Confess That I Write.
- Finalist International Book Award, 2023, for hombre de américa/man of the américas.
- Finalist International Latino Book Award 2018, for And All of Us Were Actors, A Century of Light and Shadow.
- Poetry Park Award, Rotterdam 1989, for “Dr. Zamenhofstraat”.
Recognitions for His Overall Work
- Award Coroana de Aur Ovidius, Tomis-Constanza 2024.
- Award Mihai Eminescu XIII International Poetry Festival, Craiova, Romania, 2024.
- Honored Poet of the 17th Hispanic/Latino Book Fair, Queens, 2023.
- Proclamation from the New York City Council for his achievements in literature, 2023.
- Citation from the New York State Assembly for his literary career, 2023.
- Proclamation from the Municipality of Turrialba, Costa Rica, as a Distinguished Poet, 2023.
