Yuri Herrera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yuri Herrera
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Yuri Herrera in 2015.
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| Born | 1970 (age 54–55) Actopan, Hidalgo, Mexico
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| Alma mater | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México |
| Occupation | political scientist, editor, and contemporary writer |
| Awards | Premio Otras Voces, Otros Ámbitos |
Yuri Herrera is a talented writer, editor, and political scientist from Mexico, born in 1970. He shares his knowledge by teaching at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Contents
Yuri Herrera's Journey
Yuri Herrera went to the National Autonomous University of Mexico to study Political Science. He also earned advanced degrees in Creative Writing from the University of Texas, El Paso and in Hispanic Language and Literature from the University of California, Berkeley in 2009. He is the editor of a literary magazine called El perro.
His First Books
Yuri Herrera's first novel, Trabajos del reino, won the 2004 Premio Binacional de Novela Joven award. This book was also published in Spain in 2008. It won another award there, the Premio Otras Voces, Otros Ámbitos. A group of 100 people, including editors and journalists, voted it the best fiction book published in Spain that year.
The famous writer Elena Poniatowska said his writing was "stunning." She felt his novel was an important step into Mexican literature. Another writer, Gabriel Wolfson, described Herrera's work as "amazing." He noted how Herrera mixes formal language with everyday talk.
His second novel, Señales que precederán al fin del mundo, came out in 2009. It was translated into English as Signs Preceding the End of the World in 2015. This book helped Yuri Herrera become known as one of the most important young Mexican writers. He has also written for magazines like Letras libres.
How Yuri Herrera Writes
Yuri Herrera believes that a writer's style is more than just how words look on a page. He says, "I like to say that style isn't surface, style is a form of knowledge." This means his writing style helps him explore and share ideas.
Creating Worlds in His Stories
Yuri Herrera often creates unique places in his books. For example, in his novel Kingdom Cons, he used the city of Ciudad Juárez as a starting point. However, he changed it to fit his story.
In Signs Preceding the End of the World, he doesn't name any real cities. He wanted the story to be about more than just Mexican migration. Even though the places in the book might remind readers of Mexico and the border with the United States, he wanted the message to be bigger.
Yuri Herrera enjoys reading classic books like Cervantes' Don Quixote. He also uses ideas from ancient Aztec mythology in his books, especially in Signs Preceding the End of the World. Even though his stories don't always name specific cities, they often deal with important political ideas. He believes literature can help people become more thoughtful citizens.
Awards and Recognition
Yuri Herrera has received many awards for his writing:
- 2015: His book Signs Preceding the End of the World was listed in The Guardian's "Best Fiction of 2015." It was also on NBC News' "Ten Great Latino Books" list.
- 2016: He won the Best Translated Book Award for Signs Preceding the End of the World.
- 2016: He received the Anna Seghers Prize.
- 2023: His book Ten Planets was shortlisted for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize.
Images for kids
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Yuri Herrera in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Yuri Herrera para niños
