Jorge Ibargüengoitia
Encyclopedia
Jorge Ibargüengoitia Antillón (Guanajuato
, Mexico
, January 22, 1928 - Madrid
, November 27, 1983), was a Mexican
novelist and playwright who achieved great popular (though not always critical) success with his satires, three of which have appeared in English: Las Muertas (The Dead Girls), Dos Crimenes (Two Crimes), and Los Relámpagos de Agosto (The Lightning of August). His plays include Susana y los Jóvenes and Ante varias esfinges, both dating from the 1950s. In 1955, Ibarguengoitia received a Rockefeller grant to study in New York City
; five years later he received the Mexico City
literary award.
Often, in his fiction, he took real-life scandals and subjected them to whimsical, sardonic treatment. Thus, Los Relámpagos de Agosto (1964) uses cartoonish mayhem to debunk the Mexican Revolution
's heroic myths; improbably it won for its author the Premio Casa de las Américas
, despite or because of the consternation which its flippancy caused. For Las Muertas (1977) he turned to the most outrageous criminals of his native state: the brothel-keepers Delfina & María de Jesús González, whose decade-long careers as serial killers emerged in 1964. Ibarguengoitia himself met a tragic end, on what became one of the blackest days in Latin American artistic history: having visited Paris
, he perished (along with Peruvian poet Manuel Scorza
, Uruguayan critic Angel Rama
, Argentinian academic Martha Traba, South African pianist Marc Raubenheimer
, and 176 others) in the Madrid air disaster
of November 1983.
La ley de Herodes (1967) is a collection of short stories, most of which are clearly based on details from his own life. He describes, among many other events, the misadventures of getting a mortgage in Mexico and his experiences at Columbia University
's International House
. Like his novels, these stories combine farce, sexual peccadilloes, and humor. "Estas ruinas que ves" is a farce based on realistic details of academic life that are still visible in early 21st century Guanajuato: the clanging of church bells disconcerting a speaker, cutting the ribbon at museum openings, the set of cultural movers and shakers who have known each other since kindergarten. "Maten al leon" although set on an imaginary island is another novel mirroring Guanajuato (or perhaps Mexican) society; its details are comic but the end is dark.
Ibarguengoitia was also known for his weekly columns in the Mexico City newspaper Excelsior which have been collected in a half dozen paperback volumes. His novels are also available in paperback.
The writer has been quoted as saying he never meant to make anyone laugh, that he thought laughter was useless and a pointless waste of time. He is buried in Antillon Park in Guanajuato where a talavera plaque marks his remains. In translation, it says simply, "Here lies Jorge Ibarguengoitia in the park of his great-grandfather who fought against the French."
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
, Mexico
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...
, January 22, 1928 - Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, November 27, 1983), was a Mexican
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...
novelist and playwright who achieved great popular (though not always critical) success with his satires, three of which have appeared in English: Las Muertas (The Dead Girls), Dos Crimenes (Two Crimes), and Los Relámpagos de Agosto (The Lightning of August). His plays include Susana y los Jóvenes and Ante varias esfinges, both dating from the 1950s. In 1955, Ibarguengoitia received a Rockefeller grant to study in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; five years later he received the Mexico City
Mexico 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...
literary award.
Often, in his fiction, he took real-life scandals and subjected them to whimsical, sardonic treatment. Thus, Los Relámpagos de Agosto (1964) uses cartoonish mayhem to debunk the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
's heroic myths; improbably it won for its author the Premio Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas
Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution, for the purpose of developing and extending the socio-cultural relations with the countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and the rest of the world...
, despite or because of the consternation which its flippancy caused. For Las Muertas (1977) he turned to the most outrageous criminals of his native state: the brothel-keepers Delfina & María de Jesús González, whose decade-long careers as serial killers emerged in 1964. Ibarguengoitia himself met a tragic end, on what became one of the blackest days in Latin American artistic history: having visited Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he perished (along with Peruvian poet Manuel Scorza
Manuel Scorza
Manuel Scorza was an important Peruvian novelist, poet, and political activist, exiled under the regime of Manuel Odría. He was born in Lima....
, Uruguayan critic Angel Rama
Ángel Rama
Ángel Rama was a Uruguayan writer, academic, and literary critic, known for his work on modernismo and for his theorization of the concept of "transculturation."-Biography:...
, Argentinian academic Martha Traba, South African pianist Marc Raubenheimer
Marc Raubenheimer
Marc Raubenheimer was a South African pianist. A disciple of Friedrich Gulda in Munich, he graduated in London, debuting at the Wigmore Hall in 1978. For the next years he settled in London's musical life while he made headway to the American scene, debuting in the Carnegie Hall...
, and 176 others) in the Madrid air disaster
Avianca Flight 011
Avianca Flight 011, registration HK-2910 , was a Boeing 747-283B on an international scheduled passenger flight from Frankfurt via Paris, Madrid, and Caracas to Bogotá....
of November 1983.
La ley de Herodes (1967) is a collection of short stories, most of which are clearly based on details from his own life. He describes, among many other events, the misadventures of getting a mortgage in Mexico and his experiences at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's International House
International House of New York
International House New York, also known as I-House, is an unaffiliated and non-profit residence hall for graduate students, scholars engaging in research, trainees and interns...
. Like his novels, these stories combine farce, sexual peccadilloes, and humor. "Estas ruinas que ves" is a farce based on realistic details of academic life that are still visible in early 21st century Guanajuato: the clanging of church bells disconcerting a speaker, cutting the ribbon at museum openings, the set of cultural movers and shakers who have known each other since kindergarten. "Maten al leon" although set on an imaginary island is another novel mirroring Guanajuato (or perhaps Mexican) society; its details are comic but the end is dark.
Ibarguengoitia was also known for his weekly columns in the Mexico City newspaper Excelsior which have been collected in a half dozen paperback volumes. His novels are also available in paperback.
The writer has been quoted as saying he never meant to make anyone laugh, that he thought laughter was useless and a pointless waste of time. He is buried in Antillon Park in Guanajuato where a talavera plaque marks his remains. In translation, it says simply, "Here lies Jorge Ibarguengoitia in the park of his great-grandfather who fought against the French."
Drama
- Susana y los jóvenes (1954).
- La lucha con el ángel (1955).
- Clotilde en su casa, como Un adulterio exquisito (1955). Publicada, en Teatro mexicano del siglo XX. Méexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1956.
- Ante varias esfinges (1959).
- El viaje superficial (1960). Publicada en Revista Mexicana de Literatura, junio-septiembre, 1960.
- La conspiración vendida (1960).
- El atentado. Premio Casa de las Américas 1963.
- Los buenos manejos (1980).
- Obras de Jorge Ibargüengoitia. Teatro I. Contiene: «Susana y los jóvenes», «Clotilde en su casa» y «La lucha con el ángel». México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1989.
- Obras de Jorge Ibargüengoitia. Teatro II. Contiene: «Llegó Margó», «Ante varias esfinges» y tres piezas en un acto: «El loco amor viene», «El tesoro perdido» y «Dos crímenes». México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1989.
- Obra de Jorge Ibargüengoitia. Teatro III. Contiene: «El viaje superficial», «Pájaro en mano», «Los buenos manejos», «La conspiración vendida» y «El atentado». México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1990.
Novels
- Los relámpagos de agosto. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1965.
- Maten al león. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1969.
- Estas ruinas que ves. México: Novaro, 1974.
- Las muertas. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1977. (The dead girls)
- Dos crímenes. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1979. (Two crimes)
- Los pasos de López. México: Océano, 1982.
Short story collections
- La ley de Herodes y otros cuentos. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1967.
- Piezas y cuentos para niños. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1990.
- El ratón del supermercado y... otros cuentos. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2005.
- El niño Triclinio y la bella Dorotea. México: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2008.
Essays
- Teatro mexicano contemporáneo. Madrid: Aguilar, 1957.
- Sálvese quien pueda. México: Novaro, 1975.
Article collections
- Viajes en la América Ignota. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1972.
- Autopsias rapidas. México: Vuelta, 1988.
- Instrucciones para vivir en Mèxico. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1990.
- La casa de usted y otros viajes. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 1991.
- Sálvese quien pueda. México: Joaquín Mortiz, 2000.