Juan José Arreola

Jump to: navigation, search

Juan Jose Arreola

Born September 21, 1918(1918-09-21)

Died December 3, 2001

Juan José Arreola Zúñiga (September 21, 1918 – December 3, 2001) was a Mexican
writer and academic. He is considered Mexico's premier experimental short story writer of
the twentieth century. Arreola is recognized as one of the first Latin American writers to
abandon realism; he uses elements of fantasy to underscore existentialist and absurdist
ideas in his work. Although he is little known outside his native country, Arreola has served
as the literary inspiration for a legion of Mexican writers who have sought to transform
their country's realistic literary tradition by introducing elements of magical realism, satire,
and allegory. Alongside Jorge Luis Borges, he is considered one of the masters of the
hybrid subgenre of the essay-story. He published only one novel, La feria (The Fair; 1963).

Contents
[hide]
• 1 Youth and early career
• 2 Later career
• 3 References
• 4 External links

[edit] Youth and early career

Arreola was born in Ciudad Guzmán (then Zapotlán el Grande), in the state of Jalisco.[1] He
was the fourth son out of fourteen of Felipe Arreola and Victoria Zúñiga. In 1930, he began
working as a bookbinder, which led to a series of other jobs. In 1937, he relocated to
Mexico City, where he entered the Theatrical School of Fine Arts (Escuela Teatral de
Bellas Artes).
In 1941, while working as a professor, he published his first work, Sueño de Navidad
("Dream of birth"). In 1943, while working as a journalist, he published his second work,
Hizo el bien mientras vivió ("He did well when he lived"). In 1945, he collaborated with
Juan Rulfo and Antonio Alatorre to publish the literary journal Pan.
Shortly afterward, he traveled to Paris at the invitation of Louis Jouvet. During this time, he
became acquainted with Jean-Louis Barrault and Pierre Renoir. A year later he returned to
Mexico.
In 1948, he worked as an editor for the journal Fondo de Cultura Económica, and obtained
a grant from El Colegio de México. His first collection of short stories, Varia invención,
was published in 1949. Around 1950, he began collaborating on the anthology Los
Presentes, and received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.
[edit] Later career
In 1952, Arreola published Confabulario, widely considered to be his first great work. It
was awarded the Jalisco Literary Prize in 1953. The following year, Arreola published La
hora de todos. The year after that, he published a revised Confabulario and won the
Premio del Festival Dramático from the National Institute of Fine Arts. In 1958, he
published Punta de plata, and in 1962, Confabulario total. In 1962, he published The
Switchman (El Guardagujas).
In 1963, he received the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize. The same year, he published La feria, a
work dense with references to his native Zapotlán, which would be remembered as one of
his finest literary accomplishments. The following year, he edited the anthologies Los
Presentes and El Unicornio, and became a professor at the National Autonomous
University of Mexico.
In 1967, he appeared in the controversial Alejandro Jodorowsky film Fando y Lis, which
was eventually banned in Mexico.
In 1969, Arreola was recognized by the José Clemente Orozco Cultural Group of Ciudad
Guzmán. In 1971, Confabulario, Palindroma, La feria, and Varia invención were
republished as part of a series of his greatest works, Obras de Juan José Arreola. Around
1972, he published Bestiario, a follow-up to 1958's Punta de plata. The following year, he
published La palabra educación, and in 1976, Inventario.
In 1979, he received the National Prize in Letters (Premio Nacional en Letras) in Mexico
City. In 1989, he was awarded the Jalisco Prize in Letters and in 1992 the Literatura
Latinoamericana y del Caribe Juan Rulfo Prize. In 1997, he received the Alfonso Reyes
Prize; and in 1998, the Ramón López Velarde Prize. In 1999, on his eightieth birthday, he
was named favorite son of Guadalajara, where he died two years later.