Welcome to the most important month of the year for Mexicans, el mes patrio, September. This month, as we all know, is when we commemorate Mexico’s independence. To be precise, it’s been 210 years since the day Miguel Hidalgo and the insurgents began their fight for independencia.
Since then Mexico has become a country rich in culture and warmth. Its food, traditions, landscapes, and art are recognized worldwide and enjoyed by many turistas each year. On this page I have already talked about the beautiful places that one has to visit, the traditions that are part of our day to day, and even some typical dishes of our country. But I have rarely mentioned the wonderful world of arte Mexicano.
Today we will start with six writers who have changed the course of literature not only nationally but worldwide.
SOR JUANA INES DE LA CRUZ
Her intellectual life was very intense, she wrote numerous lyrical, courtly and philosophical poems, as well as comedies and religious works.
Her literary works are considered extraordinary classics of Hispanic literature. Some of her most famous works include the poem “Primero Sueño”, the comedy Los Empeños de Una Casa, and Respuesta de la Poetisa a la Muy Ilustre Sor Filotea de la Cruz, which is one of the most important texts in New Hispanic literature.
OCTAVIO PAZ
The writer Eliot Weinberger has written that, for Paz, “the revolution of the word is the revolution of the world, and that both cannot exist without the revolution of the body: life as art, a return to the mythical lost unity of thought and body, man and nature, me and the other. “
Paz wrote a prolific body of essays, including several studies on poetics, literary and art criticism, as well as on Mexican history, politics, and culture. In 1990 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
ROSARIO CASTELLANOS
Castellanos is one of the most prominent Mexican writers. She combined her literary work with cultural promotion, teaching, journalism and diplomacy. She wrote novels, short stories, poetry, and theater.
She is known for books such as Balún Canán, Oficio de Tinieblas, Album de Familia and Poesía No Eres Tú. Which are essential readings of Mexican literature, since they address two aspects that were ignored before and were barely mentioned: women and being indigenous.
CARLOS FUENTES
Fuentes was a novelist, short story writer, playwright, critic, and diplomat whose experimental novels earned him an international literary reputation.
La Muerte de Artemio Cruz, depicting the dying hours of a wealthy survivor of the Mexican Revolution, was translated into several languages and established Fuentes as a leading international novelist. His wide range of literary accomplishments and articulate humanism made him highly influential in the literary communities of the world.
VALERIA LUISELLI
Luiselli is the first Mexican to be part of the long list of the Booker Prize thanks to her book Los Niños Perdidos, in which she addresses the situation of migrant children in the United States.
She also won the Metropolis Bleu award at the International Literature Festival in 2016. Her travels have served to deepen her narrative, and her unique perspective has made her one of the most important voices in Mexican literature in recent years.
JUAN RULFO
Mexican writer who is considered one of the best novelists and storytellers in 20th century Latin America, thanks to his production, which essentially consists of two books.
Although his literary career is not very long, Rulfo managed to create a great impact on Latin American writers including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who practiced what is known as magical realism. His most recognized work is Pedro Páramo.
Mexican literature is a mirror of society, it is like a newspaper for the country. As soon as you open a book, you will be able to know exactly what was happening in Mexico at that time. And that is why we should applaud these greats for keeping our history between the pages of their books.
