Salvador Elizondo facts for kids

Salvador Elizondo

Salvador Elizondo Alcalde was an important Mexican writer. He was born in Mexico City on December 19, 1932. He passed away on March 29, 2006. He was part of a group of writers called the "60s Generation." This group was known for new and different ideas in Mexican literature.

Salvador Elizondo was seen as a creator of very unique and smart literature in Latin America. He wrote many types of works. He was a novelist, a poet, and a critic. He also wrote plays as a playwright and worked as a journalist. His most famous novels are Farabeuf (from 1965) and El hipogeo Secreto (from 1968). He is also known for El grafógrafo (from 1972). This book has short texts that play with language in a new way. Farabeuf was even published in English in 2015.

His writing style was very new for Mexican literature. He brought ideas from different cultures and languages into his stories. This made his writing feel very worldly. His technique was often dream-like and imaginative. It was different from magic realism, which was popular at the time. Some people say his works are "postmodern." This means they challenge how we think about stories. He did this by writing about himself in his fiction. He also created stories that mixed different possible worlds. His works are often linked to writers like James Joyce and Julio Cortázar. Salvador Elizondo also taught at UNAM university for 25 years. He helped many young writers, like Pablo Soler Frost. He received many important awards. These included the Guggenheim and Rockefeller grants. He also won the national literature prize in 1990. Elizondo died in Mexico City on March 29, 2006. His funeral was held at the beautiful Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Major Works

Salvador Elizondo wrote many books and articles. Here are some of his most well-known works:

• Poemas, 1960 (Poems)
• Luchino Visconti (criticism), 1963 (A book of reviews)
• Farabeuf o la crónica de un instante (novel), 1965 (His famous novel)
• Narda o el verano, 1966 (A novel)
• Autobiografía, 1966 (Autobiography)
• El hipogeo secreto (novel), 1968 (Another famous novel)
• Cuaderno de escritura (criticism), 1969 (Writing notebook)
• El retrato de Zoe, 1969 (Zoe's portrait)
• El grafógrafo, 1972 (A book of short, experimental texts)
• Contextos (critical articles), 1973 (Articles with his thoughts)
• Museo poético (anthology of modern Mexican poetry), 1974 (A collection of poems)
• Antología personal, 1974 (Personal collection)
• Miscast (A comedy in three Acts), 1981 (A play)
• Camera lucida, México, 1983 (A book)
• La luz que regresa, 1984 (The light that returns)
• Elsinore: un cuaderno, 1988 (A notebook)
• Estanquillo (textos), 1992 (Texts)
• Teoría del infierno, 1993 (Theory of hell)
• Pasado Anterior 2007 (Past Anterior, published after he died)

Awards and Recognition

Salvador Elizondo received important awards for his writing.

• He won the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize in 1965. This is a very respected literary award in Mexico.
• He also received international grants. These included the Guggenheim and Rockefeller grants. These grants help writers and artists with their work.
• In 1990, he was given the national prize of literature. This is one of the highest honors for a writer in Mexico.

See also

In Spanish: Salvador Elizondo para niños