Jorge Edwards facts for kids
Jorge Edwards Valdés (born June 29, 1931 – died March 17, 2023) was a famous writer, journalist, and diplomat from Chile. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. He even served as Chile's ambassador, or top representative, in France.
Contents
Jorge Edwards' Life and Work
Early Life and Education
Jorge Edwards studied law at the University of Chile. This education helped him understand how countries work.
Diplomatic Career and Writing
During the time of President Salvador Allende, Edwards helped reopen Chile's embassy in Havana, Cuba. An embassy is like an office for a country in another nation. However, after just three months, the government of Fidel Castro asked him to leave. They said he was persona non grata, which means "an unwelcome person."
This experience inspired him to write a very famous book called Persona non grata (1971).
In 1994, Edwards became Chile's Ambassador to UNESCO. UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Its main office is in Paris, France. Edwards lived in Paris for many years. He also lived in Santiago, Chile.
Later Achievements
In 2008, his novel La Casa de Dostoievsky won a big award. It was the Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa. This was one of the world's richest literary prizes. It was worth $200,000.
In 2010, King Juan Carlos I of Spain gave Edwards Spanish citizenship. This meant he became a citizen of Spain.
Awards and Honors
Jorge Edwards received many important awards for his work:
- 1979 He joined the Academia Chilena de la Lengua. This is a group that studies and protects the Spanish language in Chile.
- 1994 Chilean National Prize for Literature
- 1999 Cervantes Prize
- 2000 Gabriela Mistral Order of Educational and Cultural Merit
- 2008 Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa
- 2016 Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise
Teaching Experience
Jorge Edwards also shared his knowledge by teaching. In 2008, he taught a course at the University of Chicago. The course was called My personal history of the boom.
See also
In Spanish: Jorge Edwards para niños
- Edwards family
