Carlos Monsiváis
Encyclopedia
Carlos Monsiváis Aceves was a Mexican
writer, critic, political activist, and journalist. of French decent He also wrote political opinion columns in leading newspapers and was considered to be an opinion leader within the country's progressive
sectors. His generation of writers includes Elena Poniatowska
, José Emilio Pacheco
, and Carlos Fuentes
. Monsiváis has won more than 33 awards, including the 1986 Jorge Cuesta Prize (named after a fellow writer about whom he wrote a book), the 1989 Mazatlán Prize, and the 1996 Xavier Villaurrutia Award
. Considered a leading intellectual of his time, Monsiváis documented contemporary Mexican themes, values, class struggles, and societal change in his essays, books and opinion pieces
. He was a staunch critic of the long-ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), leaned towards the left-wing
, and was ubiquitous in disseminating his views on radio and television. As a founding member of "Gatos Olvidados", Monsiváis wanted his and other "forgotten cats" to be provided for beyond his lifetime.
(UNAM). As a student, Monsiváis was involved with protests that reestablished Mexican democracy. From 1956 to 1958, he worked at Medio Siglo ("Half Century") magazine and "Estaciones" ("Seasons") from 1957 to 1959. From 1956 to 1958, he worked as an editor at Medio Siglo, and at Estaciones from 1957 to 1959.
His writings, some of which are written with an ironic undertone, show a deep understanding of the origin and development of Mexican popular culture
. As a movie critic during this time period, he is considered one of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema's premiere observers. Monsiváis enjoyed reviewing many different media, to include movies, art and football.
at the "Centro Mexicano de Escritores" ("Mexican Writers's Center"). In 1965, he attended Harvard University
's Centre for International Studies.
In 1969, Monsiváis published his first two essays: "Principios y potestades" (lit. "Principles and powers") and "Características de la cultura nacional" (lit. "Characteristics of the national culture"). They were characterized as being filled with a universal curiosity and the ability to distill the core essence of Mexican political and cultural life. In 1971, he penned a chronicle
called Días de guardar, which was compiled into a book with his first essays. In 1976, Monsiváis composed Amor perdido, which detailed mythical film characters based upon popular song, left-wing politics, and the bourgeoisie
.
During the 1980s, Monsiváis prolifically wrote the bulk of many works that shaped and destined his career. Those works include 1984's De qué se ríe el licenciado, Entrada libre, crónicas de la sociedad que se organiza in 1987, and 1988's Escenas de pudor y liviandad. In 1982, he also wrote a book called Nuevo catecismo para indios remisos, which narrated an understanding or cathecism about Mexico's native Indians. Días de guarda and Escenas de pudor y liviandad are considered his epic works. In narrative form, Monsiváis recounted the 1985 Mexico City earthquake
that killed thousands. He wrote "Historias para temblar: 19 de septiembre de 1985" ("Stories to tremble: September 19, 1985") which documented the earthquake.
In 1992, Monsiváis created a biography on Frida Kahlo
entitled Frida Kahlo: Una vida, una obra.
In addition to these books, Monsiváis wrote several anthologies
to include La poesía mexicana del siglo X in 1966, Los narradores ante el público in 1969, and in 1986 an autobiography about Jorge Cuesta
.
Monsiváis remained creative into his latter years and in 2002 wrote an essay called Yo te bendigo, vida, about Amado Nervo
.
left a distinct mark on Monsiváis. His critics maintained that Monsiváis' life was filled with social movement
s interweaved with real life politics and entertainment figures as he wrote about that "1968 army massacre" whose death toll varied from 25 to 350 depending on the sources.
Monsiváis became an early defender of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
. In 1994, he supported the Zapatistas's Chiapas revolt
on behalf of Mexico's indigenous peoples. Monsiváis along with Portuguese writer Jose Saramago
visited rebel camps in Chiapas
.
In 2002, he spoke critically against Subcomandante Marcos
's letter which supported a Basque
terrorist group and criticized Baltasar Garzón
.
In 2006, Monsiváis signed a petition in support of the independence of Puerto Rico
from the United States of America.
He was also known as a tireless and ubiquitous activist for leftist causes.
and could be seen in his latter years with an oxygen tank
. His weariness led to several hospital stays.
In 2007, Monsiváis, who was a patron
of the arts, opened the Museo de El Estanquillo with an exhibition of Gabriel Vargas
' La Familia Burrón paintings with the artist in person. Vargas sat paralyzed because of an affiction
he had suffered for the past twenty years. In funding the museum, he paid homage
to Vargas, La Familia Burrón and Eduardo del Río
. The Estanquillo Museum also exhibits many of his varied works. It holds approximately 12,000 items that Monsiváis accumulated over 30 years.
In 2008, Monsiváis' love for his 20 inseparable cats led him to bequest
funds for an animal shelter
known as "Gatos Olvidados" (Forgotten Cats). For eight years, he had been attached deeply to "Miss Oginia", a cat he had saved from being euthanasized
and a kitten he had adopted. Monsiváis approached the Distrito Federal de México about a plot of land for 50 homeless cats because a young girl, Claudia Vázquez Lozano, sent him an email requesting his support. As a founding member of "Gatos Olvidados", Monsiváis wanted his and other forgotten kitties to be provided for beyond his lifetime.
As recently as March 2010, Monsiváis presented his last collection of chronicles named Apocalipstick.
On June 19, 2010, Monsiváis was declared dead after respiratory problems by the staff of the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición 'Salvador Zubirán'. He had entered the hospital on April 2, 2010 and had declined in health.
in all forms of the media, in a country with "low reading levels" this made him more well-known amongst the people. Pacheco, a Cervantes Prize
winner, once commented that Monsiváis was the "only writer people knew on the street." Poniatowska, who knew him since 1957, said, "I think he is one of the great minds of Mexico, and an intellectual of the left." Carlos Fuentes
, who was in London
at the time of Monsiváis' death said, "great writer who renewed the essay genre in Mexico." Mexican President Felipe Calderón
lamented his death with "profound sorrow".
Of his own autobiography
that he wrote at age 28, Monsiváis once said "acepté esta suerte de autobiografía con el mezquino fin de hacerme ver como una mezcla de Albert Camus y Ringo" ("I accepted this sort of autobiography with the petty purpose of making myself look like a mix of Albert Camus
and Ringo
").
.
English
of chronicles.
In 2000, Monsiváis was awarded the "Premio Anagrama de Ensayo" ("Anagram of Essay Prize"). At the "Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara"
(" International Book Fair of Guadalajara") in 2006, he received the "FIL de Guadalajara Prize"
) along with its $100,000 prize money
and has been awarded honorary doctorates from universities in Peru
, Arizona
, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana
and the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa. Monsiváis has won more than 33 awards with his last coming from the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí
. Along with Miguel León-Portilla
, Friedrich Katz
, Fuentes and Pacheco, Monsiváis was a past recipient of the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
writer, critic, political activist, and journalist. of French decent He also wrote political opinion columns in leading newspapers and was considered to be an opinion leader within the country's progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
sectors. His generation of writers includes Elena Poniatowska
Elena Poniatowska
Elena Poniatowska is a Mexican journalist and author. Her generation of writers include Carlos Fuentes, José Emilio Pacheco and Carlos Monsiváis.-Life:Poniatowska was born in Paris to Prince Jean Joseph Evremont Sperry Poniatowski and Paula Amor Yturbe...
, José Emilio Pacheco
José Emilio Pacheco
José Emilio Pacheco Berny is a Mexican essayist, novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the major Mexican poets of the second half of the 20th century....
, and Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
. Monsiváis has won more than 33 awards, including the 1986 Jorge Cuesta Prize (named after a fellow writer about whom he wrote a book), the 1989 Mazatlán Prize, and the 1996 Xavier Villaurrutia Award
Xavier Villaurrutia Award
The Xavier Villaurrutia Award is a prestigious literary prize given in Mexico, to a Latin American writer published in Mexico. Founded in 1955, it was named in memory of Xavier Villaurrutia....
. Considered a leading intellectual of his time, Monsiváis documented contemporary Mexican themes, values, class struggles, and societal change in his essays, books and opinion pieces
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
. He was a staunch critic of the long-ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), leaned towards the left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
, and was ubiquitous in disseminating his views on radio and television. As a founding member of "Gatos Olvidados", Monsiváis wanted his and other "forgotten cats" to be provided for beyond his lifetime.
Early life and education
Carlos Monsiváis Aceves was born in Mexico City on May 4, 1938 He was of French Decent He studied economics and philosophy at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoNational Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
(UNAM). As a student, Monsiváis was involved with protests that reestablished Mexican democracy. From 1956 to 1958, he worked at Medio Siglo ("Half Century") magazine and "Estaciones" ("Seasons") from 1957 to 1959. From 1956 to 1958, he worked as an editor at Medio Siglo, and at Estaciones from 1957 to 1959.
His writings, some of which are written with an ironic undertone, show a deep understanding of the origin and development of Mexican popular culture
Culture of Mexico
Mexico has changed rapidly during the 20th century. In many ways, contemporary life in its cities has become similar to that in neighboring United States and Europe. Most Mexican villagers follow the older way of life more than the city people do. More than 45% of the people of Mexico live in...
. As a movie critic during this time period, he is considered one of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema's premiere observers. Monsiváis enjoyed reviewing many different media, to include movies, art and football.
Literary career
From 1962 to 1963 and 1967 to 1968, Monsiváis was a fellowFellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
at the "Centro Mexicano de Escritores" ("Mexican Writers's Center"). In 1965, he attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Centre for International Studies.
In 1969, Monsiváis published his first two essays: "Principios y potestades" (lit. "Principles and powers") and "Características de la cultura nacional" (lit. "Characteristics of the national culture"). They were characterized as being filled with a universal curiosity and the ability to distill the core essence of Mexican political and cultural life. In 1971, he penned a chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
called Días de guardar, which was compiled into a book with his first essays. In 1976, Monsiváis composed Amor perdido, which detailed mythical film characters based upon popular song, left-wing politics, and the bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
.
During the 1980s, Monsiváis prolifically wrote the bulk of many works that shaped and destined his career. Those works include 1984's De qué se ríe el licenciado, Entrada libre, crónicas de la sociedad que se organiza in 1987, and 1988's Escenas de pudor y liviandad. In 1982, he also wrote a book called Nuevo catecismo para indios remisos, which narrated an understanding or cathecism about Mexico's native Indians. Días de guarda and Escenas de pudor y liviandad are considered his epic works. In narrative form, Monsiváis recounted the 1985 Mexico City earthquake
1985 Mexico City earthquake
The 1985 Mexico City earthquake, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck Mexico City on the early morning of 19 September 1985 at around 7:19 AM , caused the deaths of at least 10,000 people and serious damage to the greater Mexico City Area. The complete seismic event...
that killed thousands. He wrote "Historias para temblar: 19 de septiembre de 1985" ("Stories to tremble: September 19, 1985") which documented the earthquake.
In 1992, Monsiváis created a biography on Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán, and perhaps best known for her self-portraits....
entitled Frida Kahlo: Una vida, una obra.
In addition to these books, Monsiváis wrote several anthologies
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
to include La poesía mexicana del siglo X in 1966, Los narradores ante el público in 1969, and in 1986 an autobiography about Jorge Cuesta
Jorge Cuesta
Jorge Mateo Cuesta Porte-Petit was a Mexican chemist, writer and editor.- Biography :...
.
Monsiváis remained creative into his latter years and in 2002 wrote an essay called Yo te bendigo, vida, about Amado Nervo
Amado Nervo
Amado Nervo also known as Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo was the Mexican Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay, journalist, poet, and educator. His poetry was known for its use of metaphor and reference to mysticism, presenting both love and religion, as well as Christianity and Hinduism...
.
Political involvement
In 1968, the Tlatelolco massacreTlatelolco massacre
The Tlatelolco massacre, also known as The Night of Tlatelolco , was a government massacre of student and civilian protesters and bystanders that took place during the afternoon and night of October 2, 1968, in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City...
left a distinct mark on Monsiváis. His critics maintained that Monsiváis' life was filled with social movement
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
s interweaved with real life politics and entertainment figures as he wrote about that "1968 army massacre" whose death toll varied from 25 to 350 depending on the sources.
Monsiváis became an early defender of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
. In 1994, he supported the Zapatistas's Chiapas revolt
Chiapas conflict
The Chiapas conflict generally refers to the Zapatista uprising and its aftermath, but has to be understood in relation to the history of marginalization of indigenous peoples and subsistence farmers in the state of Chiapas, Mexico....
on behalf of Mexico's indigenous peoples. Monsiváis along with Portuguese writer Jose Saramago
José Saramago
José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE was a Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, poet, playwright and journalist. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the human factor. Harold Bloom has described Saramago as "a...
visited rebel camps in Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
.
In 2002, he spoke critically against Subcomandante Marcos
Subcomandante Marcos
Subcomandante Marcos is the spokesperson for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation , a Mexican rebel movement. In January 1994, he led an army of Mayan farmers into the eastern parts of the Mexican state of Chiapas protesting against the Mexican government's treatment of indigenous...
's letter which supported a Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
terrorist group and criticized Baltasar Garzón
Baltasar Garzón
Baltasar Garzón Real is a Spanish jurist who served on Spain's central criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional. He was the examining magistrate of the Juzgado Central de Instrucción No...
.
In 2006, Monsiváis signed a petition in support of the independence of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
from the United States of America.
He was also known as a tireless and ubiquitous activist for leftist causes.
Later life and death
Monsiváis had struggled for years with pulmonary fibrosisPulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is the formation or development of excess fibrous connective tissue in the lungs. It is also described as "scarring of the lung".-Symptoms:Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are mainly:...
and could be seen in his latter years with an oxygen tank
Oxygen tank
An oxygen tank is a storage vessel for oxygen, which is either held under pressure in gas cylinders or as liquid oxygen in a cryogenic storage tank.Oxygen tanks are used to store gas for:* industrial processes including the manufacture of steel and monel...
. His weariness led to several hospital stays.
In 2007, Monsiváis, who was a patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of the arts, opened the Museo de El Estanquillo with an exhibition of Gabriel Vargas
Gabriel Vargas
Gabriel Bernal Vargas was a Mexican painter, artist and cartoonist, whose comic strip La Familia Burrón was created in 1937. This cartoon has been described as one of the most important in Mexican popular culture...
' La Familia Burrón paintings with the artist in person. Vargas sat paralyzed because of an affiction
Suffering
Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, is an individual's basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm. Suffering may be qualified as physical or mental. It may come in all degrees of intensity, from mild to intolerable. Factors of duration and...
he had suffered for the past twenty years. In funding the museum, he paid homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to Vargas, La Familia Burrón and Eduardo del Río
Rius
Eduardo del Río is a famous Mexican intellectual, political cartoonist and writer born in Zamora, Michoacán....
. The Estanquillo Museum also exhibits many of his varied works. It holds approximately 12,000 items that Monsiváis accumulated over 30 years.
In 2008, Monsiváis' love for his 20 inseparable cats led him to bequest
Bequest
A bequest is the act of giving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."...
funds for an animal shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
known as "Gatos Olvidados" (Forgotten Cats). For eight years, he had been attached deeply to "Miss Oginia", a cat he had saved from being euthanasized
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
and a kitten he had adopted. Monsiváis approached the Distrito Federal de México about a plot of land for 50 homeless cats because a young girl, Claudia Vázquez Lozano, sent him an email requesting his support. As a founding member of "Gatos Olvidados", Monsiváis wanted his and other forgotten kitties to be provided for beyond his lifetime.
As recently as March 2010, Monsiváis presented his last collection of chronicles named Apocalipstick.
On June 19, 2010, Monsiváis was declared dead after respiratory problems by the staff of the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición 'Salvador Zubirán'. He had entered the hospital on April 2, 2010 and had declined in health.
Tributes
EZLN spokesman Subcomandante Marcos regarded Monsiváis as an influence. While some of his critics did not appreciate his omnipresenceOmnipresence
Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present everywhere. According to eastern theism, God is present everywhere. Divine omnipresence is thus one of the divine attributes, although in western theism it has attracted less philosophical attention than such attributes as omnipotence,...
in all forms of the media, in a country with "low reading levels" this made him more well-known amongst the people. Pacheco, a Cervantes Prize
Miguel de Cervantes Prize
The Miguel de Cervantes Prize , established in 1976, is awarded annually to honour the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language. The prize is similar to the Booker Prize, with its candidates from Commonwealth countries, in that it rewards authors from any...
winner, once commented that Monsiváis was the "only writer people knew on the street." Poniatowska, who knew him since 1957, said, "I think he is one of the great minds of Mexico, and an intellectual of the left." Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
, who was in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the time of Monsiváis' death said, "great writer who renewed the essay genre in Mexico." Mexican President Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
lamented his death with "profound sorrow".
Of his own autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
that he wrote at age 28, Monsiváis once said "acepté esta suerte de autobiografía con el mezquino fin de hacerme ver como una mezcla de Albert Camus y Ringo" ("I accepted this sort of autobiography with the petty purpose of making myself look like a mix of Albert Camus
Albert Camus
Albert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
and Ringo
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
").
Personal life
Monsiváis never married and had no children. According to Poniatowska, he is survived by several nephews. Monsiváis owned a small two-story house in Mexico City’s Colonia Portales. In lieu of children, he owned 13 small cats and gave interviews with them in his lap. In his spare time, Monsiváis enjoyed reading and cinematographyCinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
.
Further reading
Spanish- La conciencia imprescindible. Ensayos sobre Carlos Monsiváis / Jezreel Salazar (ed.), México: Fondo Editorial Tierra Adentro, 2009.
- El arte de la ironía: Carlos Monsiváis ante la crítica / Mabel Moraña, Ignacio Sánchez Prado (eds.), México: Era, 2007.
- La ciudad como texto: la crónica urbana de Carlos Monsiváis / Jezreel Salazar, Monterrey: Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, 2006.
- Acercamientos a Carlos Monsiváis / José Bru, Dante Medina, Raúl Bañuelos (eds.), Guadalajara, Jalisco: Universidad de Guadalajara, 2006.
- Nada mexicano me es ajeno: seis papeles sobre Carlos Monsiváis / Adolfo Castañón, México: Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, 2005.
- Crónicas de la identidad : Jaime Sáenz, Carlos Monsiváis y Pedro Lemebel / Cecilia Lanza Lobo, Quito, Ecuador: Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Ediciones Abya-Yala, Corporación Editora Nacional, 2004.
- Carlos Monsiváis à l'écoute du peuple mexicain / Laura Brondino, Paris, Budapest: Torino: l'Harmattan, 2004.
- Carlos Monsiváis: cultura y crónica en el México contemporáneo / Linda Egan, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2004.
- Confrontaciones : Carlos Monsiváis / 1984.
English
- Carlos Monsiváis : culture and chronicle in contemporary Mexico / Linda Egan., 2001.
- Mexico : an encyclopedia of contemporary culture and history / ed. Don M Coerver., 2004.
- Responding to crisis in contemporary Mexico: the political writings of Paz, Fuentes, Monsiváis, and Poniatowska / Claire Brewster., 2005.
Awards
In 1977, Monsiváis won "Premio Nacional de Periodismo" Award ("National Journalism Prize") which recognized his genreGenre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of chronicles.
In 2000, Monsiváis was awarded the "Premio Anagrama de Ensayo" ("Anagram of Essay Prize"). At the "Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara"
Guadalajara International Book Fair
The Guadalajara International Book Fair, better known as the FIL is the most important annual event of its kind in the Spanish-speaking world, and the second largest book fair in the world after Frankfurt's. Created in 1987, the FIL is put on by the University of Guadalajara...
(" International Book Fair of Guadalajara") in 2006, he received the "FIL de Guadalajara Prize"
Juan Rulfo Prize
The Juan Rulfo Prize for Latin American and Caribbean Literature, created in 1991, is awarded to writers of literature from Latin America or the Caribbean who write in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or English, or to writers from any part of America who write in Spanish...
) along with its $100,000 prize money
Prize money
Prize money has a distinct meaning in warfare, especially naval warfare, where it was a monetary reward paid out to the crew of a ship for capturing an enemy vessel...
and has been awarded honorary doctorates from universities in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana
The Metropolitan Autonomous University is a public university located in Mexico City, Mexico...
and the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa. Monsiváis has won more than 33 awards with his last coming from the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí
Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí
The Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí is a public university in Mexico. It is the largest university in the state of San Luis Potosí...
. Along with Miguel León-Portilla
Miguel León-Portilla
Miguel León-Portilla is a Mexican anthropologist and historian, and a prime authority on Nahuatl thought and literature.He wrote a doctoral thesis on Nahua philosophy under the tutelage of Fr...
, Friedrich Katz
Friedrich Katz
C. Friedrich Katz was an Austrian-born anthropologist and historian specialized in 19th and 20th century history of Latin America; particularly, in the Mexican Revolution...
, Fuentes and Pacheco, Monsiváis was a past recipient of the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.
External links
- Carlos Monsiváis "From Comala to Houston"
- La gigantomaquia oficial Una conversación entre el autor y Anadeli Bencomo
- Interview with Carlos Monsivais, Barcelona MetropolisBarcelona MetropolisBarcelona Metrópolis is a magazine of urban information and thought dedicated to monitoring the evolution of the city of Barcelona.Barcelona...
, Summer 2008.