Elena Garro
Encyclopedia
Elena Garro was a Mexican
writer. She was once married to writer Octavio Paz
.
but moved to Iguala
, Guerrero
, during the Cristero War
. She studied literature, choreography and theater in the National Autonomous University of Mexico
in Mexico City. While she lived in Mexico City she met Octavio Paz
, whom she married in 1937. They had one daughter, Helena, but divorced in 1959. However, according to her final will, Elena died without knowing she was divorced.
After the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre
, she accused certain Mexican intellectuals of being responsible of instigating the students and later abandoning them. These accusations caused resentment in the intellectual community who repudiated her. In 1972, Garro left the country and lived in exile in France for twenty years.
When she returned to Mexico she lived in Cuernavaca
with her daughter and 13 cats. She suffered from lung cancer due to smoking and Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA) covered her medical expenses. She later died from this illness.
Her work touches on the themes of the marginalization
of women and racism
. Most important was her criticism of the Mexican government. She also portrayed a critical vision of the Mexican Revolution (1910) in her master novel "Los recuerdos del porvenir" (1963), which was awarded the Xavier Villarutia Prize, and which has been translated into several languages. Her novel "Y Matarazo no llamó . . . " criticizes how the government used excessive force to stop the labor strike. In her short story, "La culpa es de los tlaxcaltecas," she vindicates la Malinche. Her play "Felipe Angeles" is a documentary drama where she resurrects the General Felipe Angeles, a revolutionary leader who was executed in 1919 by the government of Venustiano Carranza
] against the will of the people. This was a result of his success in saving the lives of many people in Chihuahua, when Pancho Villa ordered the execution of one hundred soldiers. He is also known for his triumph in Zacatecas. Angeles fought against the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz with Francisco Madero, president of Mexico who was also assassinated.
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. She was once married to writer Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz Lozano was a Mexican writer, poet, and diplomat, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature.-Early life and writings:...
.
Biography
Elena Garro was born to a Spanish father and a Mexican mother on December 11, 1916 in Puebla, Mexico. She spent her childhood in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
but moved to Iguala
Iguala
The historic city of Iguala de la Independencia is located from state capital Chilpancingo in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It stands on Federal Highway 95. Iguala is the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name, located in the north-central part of the state. The city had a 2005...
, Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
, during the Cristero War
Cristero War
The Cristero War of 1926 to 1929 was an uprising and counter-revolution against the Mexican government in power at that time. The rebellion was set off by the strict enforcement of the anti-clerical provisions of the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and the expansion of further anti-clerical laws...
. She studied literature, choreography and theater in the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National 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...
in Mexico City. While she lived in Mexico City she met Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz Lozano was a Mexican writer, poet, and diplomat, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature.-Early life and writings:...
, whom she married in 1937. They had one daughter, Helena, but divorced in 1959. However, according to her final will, Elena died without knowing she was divorced.
After the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre
Tlatelolco 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...
, she accused certain Mexican intellectuals of being responsible of instigating the students and later abandoning them. These accusations caused resentment in the intellectual community who repudiated her. In 1972, Garro left the country and lived in exile in France for twenty years.
When she returned to Mexico she lived in Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
with her daughter and 13 cats. She suffered from lung cancer due to smoking and Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA) covered her medical expenses. She later died from this illness.
Her work touches on the themes of the marginalization
Marginalization
In sociology, marginalisation , or marginalization , is the social process of becoming or being made marginal or relegated to the fringe of society e.g.; "the marginalization of the underclass", "marginalisation of intellect", etc.-Individual:Marginalization at the individual level results in an...
of women and racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. Most important was her criticism of the Mexican government. She also portrayed a critical vision of the Mexican Revolution (1910) in her master novel "Los recuerdos del porvenir" (1963), which was awarded the Xavier Villarutia Prize, and which has been translated into several languages. Her novel "Y Matarazo no llamó . . . " criticizes how the government used excessive force to stop the labor strike. In her short story, "La culpa es de los tlaxcaltecas," she vindicates la Malinche. Her play "Felipe Angeles" is a documentary drama where she resurrects the General Felipe Angeles, a revolutionary leader who was executed in 1919 by the government of Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. He ultimately became President of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the current constitution of Mexico was drafted...
] against the will of the people. This was a result of his success in saving the lives of many people in Chihuahua, when Pancho Villa ordered the execution of one hundred soldiers. He is also known for his triumph in Zacatecas. Angeles fought against the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz with Francisco Madero, president of Mexico who was also assassinated.
Theater
- Felipe Ángeles (1979)
- Un hogar sólido (1958)
- Los pilares de doña Blanca
- El rey mago
- Andarse por las ramas
- Ventura Allende
- El encanto
- Los perros
- El árbol (1963)
- La dama boba
- El rastro
- Benito Fernández
- La mudanza
- Parada San Ángel
- La señora en su balcón. (1994 ISBN. 968-856-379-X)
- Coca Cola
- Sócrates y los gatos. (2003. ISBN 970-651-708-1)
Novels
- Los recuerdos del porvenir (1963)
- Testimonios sobre Mariana (1981)
- Reencuentro de personajes (1982)
- La casa junto al río Grijalbo (1983)
- Y Matarazo no llamó (1991)
- Inés (1995)
- Busca mi esquela y Primer amor (1996)(ISBN 968-7415-36-3)
- Un traje rojo para un duelo (1996) (ISBN 968-7415-51-7)
- Un corazón en un bote de basura (1998) (ISBN 968-27-0672-6)
- Mi hermanita Magdalena (1998) (ISBN 970-20-0062-9)
- La vida empieza a las tres. (1997) (ISBN 968-7415-91-6)
Short stories
- La culpa es de los tlaxcaltecas
- La semana de colores (1964 ISBN 968-419-882-5)
- Andamos huyendo Lola (1980)
- El accidente y otros cuentos inéditos
Awards
- Award Xavier Villaurrutia (1963)
- Award Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1996)
- Award Grijalbo (1989)
Further reading
- La doble memoria de la loca. Sergio Callao en Revista de Crítica Literaria Latinoamericana. Lima-Hanover 2001
- Melgar, Lucía; Gabriela Mora: Elena Garro: lectura múltiple de una personalidad compleja. Puebla: Benemérita Univ. Autónoma de Puebla, 2002. ISBN 968-863-628-2
- A different reality: Studies on the work of Elena Garro, ed. by Anita K. Stoll. Lewisburg, Pa.: Bucknell Univ. Press, 1990.ISBN 0-8387-5166-0
- Perea-Fox, Susana: "Elena Garro y los rostros del poder". D.F. México, Editorial Cenzontle, 2007. ISBN 978-970-9929-08-9
- Rosas Lopátegui, Patricia: Yo sólo soy memoria: biografía visual de Elena Garro. Mexico: Ed. Castillo, 2000. ISBN 970-20-0088-2
- Rosas Lopátegui Patricia: "Testimonios sobre Elena Garro". Biografía exclusiva y autorizada de Elena Garro, Monterrey, México, Ediciones Castillo, 2002. ISBN 970-20-0285-0
- Rosas Lopátegui Patricia: "El asesinato de Elena Garro. Periodismo a través de una perspectiva biográfica", México, Porrúa, 2005. ISBN 970-07-6159-2
- Rosas Lopátegui, Patricia, Yo quiero que haya mundo... Elena Garro 50 años de dramaturgia (coordinadora, autora y compiladora), Editorial Porrúa-Buap, México, 2008 ISBN 978-970-07-7691-0.
- Schmidhbuer, Guillermo, "Cátedra de Damas: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz y Elena Garro". México: Universidad de Guadalajara, 2003. ISBN 97027-0293-3
- Schmidhuber, Guillermo, "En busca de un hogar sólido I y II" (two plays with Elen Garro as character). Argentina: Editorial Teatro Vivo, 2004. ISBN 987-21678-1-8
- Toruño, Rhina. "Tiempo, destino, y opresion en la obra de Elena Garro". New York: Mellen University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-7734-4258-8
- Toruño, Rhina. "Tiempo, destino, y opresion en la obra de Elena Garro". Update, 2nd Edition. San Salvador, El Salvador: Universidad Tecnologica de El Salvador, 1998. ISBN 99923-21-00-8
- Toruño, Rhina. "Cita con la memoria: "Elena Garro cuenta su vida a Rhina Toruño". Buenos Aires, Argentina: Prueba de Galera Ediciones, 2004 ISBN 987-20648-6-5
- Winkler, Julie A.: Light into shadow: marginality and alienation in the work of Elena Garro. New York; Vienna: Lang, 2001. (Currents in comparative Romance languages and literatures; 76 ) ISBN 0-8204-4071-X