Carlos Fuentes

Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes (born November 11, 1928) is one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Hispanic world. Fuentes has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.

Fuentes was born in Panama City; his parents were Mexican diplomats. In his childhood, he lived in Quito, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, Washington, Santiago and Buenos Aires. In his teens, he returned to Mexico, where he lived until 1965.

Following in the footsteps of his parents, he also became a diplomat and has lived an itinerant life since 1965 in London, Paris, and other capitals. He has also taught at Brown, Princeton, Harvard, Columbia and Cambridge.

His 1985 novel Gringo viejo, the first American bestseller written by a Mexican author, was filmed as Old Gringo (1989) starring Gregory Peck and Jane Fonda.

Fuentes regularly contributes essays on politics and culture to the Spanish newspaper El País. He is a stern critic of American cultural and economic imperialism, especially with regard to Latin America.

Selected works

• Los días enmascarados (1954)
• La región más transparente (1959)
• La muerte de Artemio Cruz (1962)
• La nueva novela hispanoamericana (1969)
• Zona sagrada (1967)
• Cambio de piel (1967)
• Cumpleaños (1969)
• El tuerto es rey (1971)
• Diana o la cazadora solitaria (1972)
• Terra Nostra (1975)
• Agua quemada (1981)
• Orquídeas a la luz de la luna (1982)
• Gringo viejo (1985)
• Cristóbal Nonato (1987)
• Ceremonias del alba (1991)
• El naranjo (1993)
• Los años con Laura Díaz (1999)
• Esto Creo (2004)

External link