Alberto Fuguet
Encyclopedia
Alberto Fuguet de Goyeneche (born 1964) is a popular Chile
an writer
, journalist
, film critic and film director
who rose to critical prominence in the 1990s as part of the movement known as the New Chilean Narrative. Although he was born in Santiago
, he spent his first 13 years of life in Encino
, California
. He was among the fifty Latin American leaders selected by Time Magazine
and CNN
in 1999, and he appeared on the front page of Newsweek Magazine
in 2002.
Fuguet was born in Santiago, Chile, but his family moved to Encino, California where he lived until age 13. He is a graduate of the University of Chile's School of Journalism
.
In 1999 Time
called Fuguet one of the 50 most important Latin Americans for the next millennium. In 2003, he was featured on the cover of the international edition of Newsweek
magazine to represent a new generation of Latino writers.
Fuguet currently heads the program in Contemporary Audiovisual Culture at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado
's School of Journalism in Santiago. He also writes for the newspaper El Mercurio
and is at work on two new projects: the film Perdidos and the book Missing.
/Chilean hybridity, with constant cross-references to the popular cultures of the two nations. In 1996 he co-edited (with Sergio Gómez) the anthology McOndo, whose title combined McDonalds with Macondo
, the fictional town created by Gabriel García Márquez
. McOndo
represented popular culture while largely rejecting the use of magical realism in contemporary Latin American fiction.
Fuguet's other books are the short story collections Sobredosis and Cortos; the novels Mala onda
, Por favor, rebobinar, Tinta roja and Las películas de mi vida
; and the non-fiction collection Primera parte. Mala onda, which narrates a week in the life of a Santiago teenager in 1980, has received wide acclaim. Tinta roja has been made into a film. Las películas de mi vida is a semi-autobiographical novel about a Chilean seismologist who grew up in California and later returned to Chile
. Its protagonist recounts his life with references to movies he has watched. Some of Fuguet's work, including Mala onda and Las películas de mi vida, has been translated into English and published in the United States.
2007 saw the release of Road Story, a graphic novel illustrated by Gonzalo Martínez based on one of the stories in Cortos. Under the Alfaguara imprint, the book is claimed by Fuguet and by his sometime-collaborator Francisco Ortega to be the first Chilean graphic novel issued by a major publisher.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, film critic and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
who rose to critical prominence in the 1990s as part of the movement known as the New Chilean Narrative. Although he was born in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, he spent his first 13 years of life in Encino
Encino, Los Angeles, California
Encino is a hilly district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Specifically, it is located in the central portion of the southern San Fernando Valley and on the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was among the fifty Latin American leaders selected by Time Magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
in 1999, and he appeared on the front page of Newsweek Magazine
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
in 2002.
Fuguet was born in Santiago, Chile, but his family moved to Encino, California where he lived until age 13. He is a graduate of the University of Chile's School of Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
.
In 1999 Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
called Fuguet one of the 50 most important Latin Americans for the next millennium. In 2003, he was featured on the cover of the international edition of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine to represent a new generation of Latino writers.
Fuguet currently heads the program in Contemporary Audiovisual Culture at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado
Universidad Alberto Hurtado
Alberto Hurtado University is a Jesuit university located in downtown Santiago. Established in 1997, the university was created from the merger of three separate institutes,Instituto Latinoamericano de Doctrina y Estudios Sociales , the Centro de Investigación, Desarrollo de la Educación , and the...
's School of Journalism in Santiago. He also writes for the newspaper El Mercurio
El Mercurio
El Mercurio is a conservative Chilean newspaper with editions in Valparaíso and Santiago. Its Santiago edition is considered the country's paper-of-record and its Valparaíso edition is the oldest daily in the Spanish language currently in circulation. El Mercurio is owned by El Mercurio S.A.P...
and is at work on two new projects: the film Perdidos and the book Missing.
Writing
Fuguet's work is characterized by a United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
/Chilean hybridity, with constant cross-references to the popular cultures of the two nations. In 1996 he co-edited (with Sergio Gómez) the anthology McOndo, whose title combined McDonalds with Macondo
Macondo
For the oil spill, see: Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosionMacondo is a fictional town described in Gabriel García Márquez's novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. It is the home town of the Buendía family.-Aracataca:...
, the fictional town created by Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
. McOndo
McOndo
McOndo is a Latin American literary movement that breaks from the dominant Magical Realism mode of narration, and counters it with the strong, ideologic associations of the cultural and narrative languages of the mass communications media, and with the modernity of urban living; the experience of...
represented popular culture while largely rejecting the use of magical realism in contemporary Latin American fiction.
Fuguet's other books are the short story collections Sobredosis and Cortos; the novels Mala onda
Mala onda
Mala onda is a bildungsroman novel and social commentary by Alberto Fuguet. It is also Fuguet's debut novel, first published in 1992.Mala onda is set in Chile during a ten-day period in late 1980, around the time of the Chilean constitutional referendum...
, Por favor, rebobinar, Tinta roja and Las películas de mi vida
Las películas de mi vida
Las películas de mi vida is a 2002 semi-autobiographical novel by Chilean writer Alberto Fuguet. The novel has received a significant amount of critical attention.-Plot summary:...
; and the non-fiction collection Primera parte. Mala onda, which narrates a week in the life of a Santiago teenager in 1980, has received wide acclaim. Tinta roja has been made into a film. Las películas de mi vida is a semi-autobiographical novel about a Chilean seismologist who grew up in California and later returned to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Its protagonist recounts his life with references to movies he has watched. Some of Fuguet's work, including Mala onda and Las películas de mi vida, has been translated into English and published in the United States.
2007 saw the release of Road Story, a graphic novel illustrated by Gonzalo Martínez based on one of the stories in Cortos. Under the Alfaguara imprint, the book is claimed by Fuguet and by his sometime-collaborator Francisco Ortega to be the first Chilean graphic novel issued by a major publisher.
Novels
- Mala ondaMala ondaMala onda is a bildungsroman novel and social commentary by Alberto Fuguet. It is also Fuguet's debut novel, first published in 1992.Mala onda is set in Chile during a ten-day period in late 1980, around the time of the Chilean constitutional referendum...
- Tinta roja
- Por favor rebobinar
- Las películas de mi vidaLas películas de mi vidaLas películas de mi vida is a 2002 semi-autobiographical novel by Chilean writer Alberto Fuguet. The novel has received a significant amount of critical attention.-Plot summary:...
(2003) Translated in the USA as The Movies of My Life by Harpercollins, 2003 - Missing (Una investigación) (2010)
Short stories
- Sobredosis
- Cortos - Translated in the USA as Shorts, HarperCollins in 2005
Filmography
- Música Campesina (2011)
- Velódromo (2010)
- 2 horas (2009)
- Se arriendaSe arriendaSe Arrienda is a 2005 Chilean film directed by Alberto Fuguet and starring Luciano Cruz-Coke. The film follows the fictional life of Gastón Fernández, a composer in his thirties who has achieved little career success since composing the score to a B movie during his time as a student....
(2005) (co-written with Francisco Ortega) - Las hormigas asesinas (2004)
- En un lugar de la noche (aka Dos hermanos) (writer) (directed by Martín Rodríguez, 2000).
External links
- Alberto Fuguet's personal web site
- Se Arrienda - Se Arrienda official site
- Archive of articles by Alberto Fuguet
- "Hijos, un cuento en dos actos" - a short story by Alberto Fuguet
- "Love on Wheels (story) in New Translations (English)