Eugenio Montejo
Encyclopedia
University of Carabobo
The University of Carabobo is an autonomous, public university of Venezuela located in Valencia, Venezuela. It offers graduate and postgraduate studies in different areas...
.
He was researcher at the "Romulo Gallegos" Centre for Latin American Studies in Caracas and contributed to a large number of national and international magazines. In Venezuela he was awarded the National Prize for Literature
National Prize for Literature (Venezuela)
The National Prize for Literature is a literary award made annually to Venezuelan writers.* 1948 Mario Briceño Iragorry...
in 1998 and in 2004 he received the International Octavio Paz Prize for Poetry and Essay.
International interest in Montejo's poetry grew after his poem "La Tierra Giró para Acercarnos" ("The Earth Turned to Bring Us Closer") was used in the film 21 grams
21 Grams
21 Grams is a 2003 American drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston, and Benicio del Toro....
by feted Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican film director.González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the DGA of America for Best Director. He is also the first and only Mexican born director to have won the Prix de la mise en scene...
. A few lines from the poem are quoted by Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
's character in the movie.
Poetic work
- Elegos (1967)
- Muerte y memoria (1972)
- Algunas palabras (1977)
- Terredad (1978)
- Trópico absoluto (1982)
- Alfabeto del mundo (1986)
- Adiós al Siglo XX (1992, 1997 a complete version)
- Papiros amorosos (2002)
- Chamario (2003, for children)
- Fábula del escriba (2006)
Translations
- The Trees (selected poems 1967-2004) - an anthology of selected poems with English translations by the Australian poet Peter Boyle. Original Spanish text appears alongside English translation (Salt Publishing, 2004).
Further reading
- Consuelo HernándezConsuelo HernándezConsuelo Hernández is a Colombian /U.S. poet, scholar, literary critic and Associate Professor of Latin American studies at American University since 1995....
. La arquitectura poética de Eugenio Montejo. Venezuela. Literatura de fin de siglo. Special Issue. INTI Revista de Literatura Hispánica. No. 37-38. Julio Ortega, editor. Brown University. 1993. pp. 133-143. - Roberts, Nicholas. 2009. Poetry and Loss: The Work of Eugenio Montejo (Woodbridge: Tamesis)