Sergio Ramírez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sergio Ramírez
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Sergio Ramírez in Madrid to receive the Cervantes Prize (2018)
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| Vice President of Nicaragua | |
| In office 10 January 1985 – 25 April 1990 |
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| President | Daniel Ortega |
| Preceded by | Alfonso Callejas Deshón Francisco Urcuyo (1967) |
| Succeeded by | Virgilio Godoy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sergio Ramírez Mercado
5 August 1942 Masatepe, Nicaragua |
| Nationality |
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| Political party | FSLN, MRS |
| Spouse | Gertrudis Guerrero |
| Residence | Managua |
| Alma mater | National Autonomous University of Nicaragua |
| Website | Official Website: http://www.sergioramirez.com |
Sergio Ramírez Mercado (born 5 August 1942) is a famous writer and thinker from Nicaragua. He played a big part in the Nicaraguan Revolution in 1979. After the revolution, he served in the government and was the Vice President of Nicaragua from 1985 to 1990. Many people consider him Nicaragua's most well-known living writer. Since the 1990s, he has been involved in political groups that disagree with the Nicaraguan government. In 2021, he had to leave his home country. In 2023, the government took away his Nicaraguan citizenship.
Contents
Life and Career
Early Life and Education
Sergio Ramírez was born in Masatepe, Nicaragua, in 1942. He published his first book, Cuentos (which means "Stories"), in 1963. He studied law at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua in León. He graduated in 1964 and was the top student, earning a Gold Medal.
Role in the Revolution
In 1977, Ramírez became the leader of a group called "The Group of Twelve". This group included important thinkers, religious leaders, business people, and regular citizens. They publicly supported the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN). The FSLN was a group fighting to remove the president at the time, Anastasio Somoza Debayle.
Because of their support, The Group of Twelve had to leave Nicaragua and go to Costa Rica. Their return to Nicaragua was a key moment that showed the Somoza government was coming to an end. When the Nicaraguan Revolution succeeded in 1979, Sergio Ramírez joined the new government. He led the National Council of Education. In 1984, he was elected Vice President of Nicaragua and started his term in 1985.
Later Political Work
The FSLN lost power in 1990 to a group called the UNO. Even after this, Ramírez continued to lead the FSLN group in the National Assembly until 1995. He then started a new political group called the Movimiento de Renovación Sandinista (MRS). He created this group because he had different ideas from other FSLN leaders, like former president Daniel Ortega. He wanted more democratic changes.
Since then, he has looked back at some of the FSLN's past actions. He believes some of their policies caused problems for the country and the FSLN itself. In 1996, he ran for president with the MRS, but he did not win. After that, Ramírez decided to leave politics completely.
Focus on Writing and Personal Life
After leaving politics, Sergio Ramírez focused on his writing. His books became very popular around the world and have been translated into many languages. He won the "Carlos Fuentes" prize from Mexico for his lifetime of work. He lived in Managua but traveled a lot for his writing.
He married Gertrudis "Tulita" Guerrero Mayorga in 1964. They have three children: Sergio, María, and Dorel, and eight grandchildren.
In June 2021, he was forced to leave Nicaragua again. This happened during a time when the government was taking strong actions against people who disagreed with them. In September, the government issued a warrant for his arrest. In February 2023, the Nicaraguan government took away his citizenship, along with 93 other people. The United Nations Refugee Agency said this action was "arbitrary." They stated that people should not lose their citizenship for expressing their opinions or using their basic rights. On July 1, 2023, his home in Masatepe was taken by Nicaraguan authorities.
Writings
Literary Career
Ramírez started his writing journey by creating short stories. His first story, "The student," was published in 1960 in a magazine called Ventana. Three years later, his first book, a collection of stories, was released. In 1970, he published his first full-length novel. Since then, he has written novels, short stories, essays, and journalism. He became internationally famous in 1998 when his novel Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea won the Alfaguara Prize.
Journalism and Teaching
In 1990, he started La Quincena, a political magazine in Managua that was published for ten years. Today, he writes columns for La Prensa in Nicaragua. He also writes for several newspapers around the world, including El País, La Jornada, El Nacional, El Tiempo, and La Opinión. He is also the director of Carátula, an online cultural magazine for Central America.
From 1999 to 2000, and again in 2001, he taught at the University of Maryland. He has also been a visiting professor at many major universities in the United States and Europe. He is the President of Centroamérica cuenta, which is the most important literary festival in Central America.
Major Awards for Writing
On November 16, 2017, Sergio Ramírez won the Cervantes Prize. This is the most important literary award for writers in the Spanish-speaking world. In 2018, the government of Spain gave him Spanish citizenship. In February 2023, the Nicaraguan authorities took away his Nicaraguan citizenship.
His 2021 novel, Tongolele no sabía bailar (which means Tongolele Didn’t Know How to Dance), is a detective story. It looks at the protests that happened in Nicaragua in 2018. Copies of this book were stopped by Nicaraguan customs officials.
Awards and Honors
- Latin American Short Story Award 1971 for "De tropeles y tropelias".
- Dashiell Hammett International Prize 1990, for Divine Punishment.
- Order Carlos Fonseca, the highest honor from the FSLN (1990).
- Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (France, 1993).
- Alfaguara Prize 1998 for Margarita, how beautiful the sea.
- Prix Laure Bataillon 1998 for Best Foreign Novel published in France.
- Casa de las Américas Novel Prize 2000 José María Arguedas for Margarita, how beautiful the sea.
- Presidential Honor Medal, Pablo Neruda´s Centennial (Chile, 2004).
- Masatepe´s Favorite Son, awarded by the Municipal Council (2005 Nicaragua).
- Jose Donoso Award (Chile, 2011).
- Officer of France´s Arts and Letters (France, 2013).
- Carlos Fuentes International Award for Literary Creation in Spanish Language (Mexico, 2014).
- Miguel de Cervantes Prize (2017).
Novels and Short Stories
- Cuentos (1963)
- Tiempo de fulgor (1970)
- De Tropeles y Tropelías (1971)
- El Pensamiento vivo de Sandino (1975)
- Charles Atlas también muere (1976)
- ¿Te dio miedo la sangre? (1978)
- Castigo Divino (1988) (Divine Punishment, 2015)
- Clave de Sol (1993)
- Un baile de máscaras (1995)
- Cuentos Completos (1998)
- Margarita, está linda la mar (1998; Premio Alfaguara de Novela)
- Adiós muchachos (1999)
- Mentiras Verdaderas (2001)
- Catalina y Catalina (2001)
- Sombras nada más (2002)
- Mil y una muertes (2004)
- El Reino Animal (2006)
- Catalina y Catalina, Alfaguara México, 2001. Contains 11 stories:
- La herencia del bohemio, El pibe Cabriola, La partida de caza, Aparición en la fábrica de ladrillos, Perdón y olvido, Gran Hotel, Un bosque oscuro, Ya todo está en calma, La viuda Carlota, Vallejo and Catalina y Catalina
- Ómnibus, antología personal, stories, Editorial Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, 2008
- Juego perfecto, Editorial Piedra Santa / Amanuense Editorial, Guatemala, 2008; 11 stories
- El cielo llora por mí, novel, Alfaguara, 2009 (The sky weeps for me, McPherson & Company, 2020)
- Perdón y olvido, antología de cuentos: 1960 - 2009 (2009)
- La fugitiva, novel, Alfaguara, 2011
- La girafa embarazada, children's short story (2013)
- Flores oscuras, Alfaguara, 2013. Contains 12 stories:
- Adán y Eva, La puerta falsa, La cueva del trono de la calavera, Ya no estás más a mi lado corazón, Las alas de la gloria, La colina 155, No me vayan a haber dejado solo, Ángela, el petimetre y el diablo, El mudo de Truro, Iowa, El autobús amarillo, Abbott y Costello y Flores oscuras
- Lo que sabe el paladar. Diccionario de los alimentos de Nicaragua, compendio en comidas y recetas, 2014
- Juan de Juanes, relatos, Alfaguara México, 2014
- Sara: sus páginas beben del mito bíblico de Abraham y Sara 6
- A la mesa con Rubén Darío, short stories, 2016
- Ya nadie llora por mí, crime novel, Alfaguara, 2017
- Tongolele no sabía bailar, Alfaguara, 2021
- El caballo dorado, Alfaguara, 2024
Essays and Testimonies
- Mis días con el rector, Ediciones Ventana, León, Nicaragua, 1965
- Hombre del Caribe, Editorial EDUCA, Costa Rica, 1977
- El muchacho de Niquinohomo, 1981
- Pensamiento vivo de Sandino, 2 volumes, Editorial Nueva Nicaragua, Managua, 1981
- Balcanes y volcanes, Editorial Nueva América, Buenos Aires, 1983
- El alba de oro. La historia viva de Nicaragua, Editorial Siglo XXI, México, 1983
- Estás en Nicaragua, Munhnik Editores, Barcelona, 1985
- Las armas del futuro, Editorial Nueva Nicaragua, Managua, 1987
- La marca del Zorro, Editorial Nueva Nicaragua, Managua, 1989
- Confesión de amor, Ediciones Nicarao, Managua, 1991
- Oficios compartidos, Editorial Siglo XXI, México, 1994
- Biografía Mariano Fiallos, Editorial Universitaria, León, Nicaragua, 1997
- Adiós muchachos, Alfaguara 1999
- Mentiras verdaderas, Alfaguara México, 2001
- El viejo arte de mentir, Fondo de Cultura Económica, México, 2004
- El señor de los tristes, literary essays, Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, 2006
- Tambor olvidado, Aguilar, San José, Costa Rica, 2007
- Cuando todos hablamos, Alfaguara, 2008
See also
In Spanish: Sergio Ramírez para niños
