Carlos Fuentes MacÃas (/ˈfwÉ›nteɪs/;[1] Spanish: [ˈkaɾlos
ˈfwentes] (listen); November 11, 1928 â€" May 15, 2012) was a Mexican
novelist and essayist. Among his works are The Death of Artemio Cruz
(1962), Aura (1962), Terra Nostra (1975), The Old Gringo (1985) and
Christopher Unborn (1987). In his obituary, The New York Times
described Fuentes as "one of the most admired writers in the
Spanish-speaking world" and an important influence on the Latin
American Boom, the "explosion of Latin American literature in the
1960s and '70s",[2] while The Guardian called him "Mexico's most
celebrated novelist".[3] His many literary honors include the Miguel
de Cervantes Prize as well as Mexico's highest award, the Belisario
DomÃnguez Medal of Honor (1999).[4] He was often named as a likely
candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, though he never
won.[5]Fuentes was born in Panama City, the son of Berta MacÃas and
Rafael Fuentes, the latter of whom was a Mexican diplomat.[2][6] As
the family moved for his father's career, Fuentes spent his childhood
in various Latin American capital cities,[3] an experience he later
described as giving him the ability to view Latin America as a
critical outsider.[7] From 1934 to 1940, Fuentes' father was posted to
the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C.,[8] where Carlos attended
English-language school, eventually becoming fluent.[3][8] He also
began to write during this time, creating his own magazine, which he
shared with apartments on his block.[3]In 1938, Mexico nationalized
foreign oil holdings, leading to a national outcry in the U.S.; he
later pointed to the event as the moment in which he began to
understand himself as Mexican.[8] In 1940, the Fuentes family was
transferred to Santiago, Chile. There, he first became interested in
socialism, which would become one of his lifelong passions, in part
through his interest in the poetry of Pablo Neruda.[9] He lived in
Mexico for the first time at the age of 16, when he went to study law
at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City
with an eye toward a diplomatic career.[3] During this time, he also
began working at the daily newspaper Hoy and writing short stories.[3]
He later attended the Graduate Institute of International Studies in
Geneva.[10]
ˈfwentes] (listen); November 11, 1928 â€" May 15, 2012) was a Mexican
novelist and essayist. Among his works are The Death of Artemio Cruz
(1962), Aura (1962), Terra Nostra (1975), The Old Gringo (1985) and
Christopher Unborn (1987). In his obituary, The New York Times
described Fuentes as "one of the most admired writers in the
Spanish-speaking world" and an important influence on the Latin
American Boom, the "explosion of Latin American literature in the
1960s and '70s",[2] while The Guardian called him "Mexico's most
celebrated novelist".[3] His many literary honors include the Miguel
de Cervantes Prize as well as Mexico's highest award, the Belisario
DomÃnguez Medal of Honor (1999).[4] He was often named as a likely
candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, though he never
won.[5]Fuentes was born in Panama City, the son of Berta MacÃas and
Rafael Fuentes, the latter of whom was a Mexican diplomat.[2][6] As
the family moved for his father's career, Fuentes spent his childhood
in various Latin American capital cities,[3] an experience he later
described as giving him the ability to view Latin America as a
critical outsider.[7] From 1934 to 1940, Fuentes' father was posted to
the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C.,[8] where Carlos attended
English-language school, eventually becoming fluent.[3][8] He also
began to write during this time, creating his own magazine, which he
shared with apartments on his block.[3]In 1938, Mexico nationalized
foreign oil holdings, leading to a national outcry in the U.S.; he
later pointed to the event as the moment in which he began to
understand himself as Mexican.[8] In 1940, the Fuentes family was
transferred to Santiago, Chile. There, he first became interested in
socialism, which would become one of his lifelong passions, in part
through his interest in the poetry of Pablo Neruda.[9] He lived in
Mexico for the first time at the age of 16, when he went to study law
at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City
with an eye toward a diplomatic career.[3] During this time, he also
began working at the daily newspaper Hoy and writing short stories.[3]
He later attended the Graduate Institute of International Studies in
Geneva.[10]
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