Rogelio Barriga Rivas 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...

 author born in Tlacolula, Oaxaca

Oaxaca

Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...

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Biography

Despite his short career, Barriga is considered one of the best writers of his time. He took a degree in law, and his experiences working as magistrate and judge were reflected in two of his books: Rio Humano, winner of the Lanz Duret prize in 1948, and Juez Letrado (1952).

Proud of his origin, in love with his native Oaxaca and the customs of the region, his first novel was La Guelaguetza (1947). As well as winning the Lanz Duret prize in 1951, La Mayordomia inspired the film Animas Trujano starring Toshirō Mifune

Toshiro Mifune

Toshirō Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, from 1948 to 1965, in works such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo...

, Flor Silvestre

Flor Silvestre

Flor silvestre is a 1943 Mexican film, directed by Emilio Fernández and starring Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz. Is the first Mexican movie of Dolores del Río after her career in Silent and Golden Age's Hollywood films...

 and Antonio Aguilar

Antonio Aguilar

José Pascual Antonio Aguilar Barraza most commonly known as Antonio Aguilar, nicknamed "El Charro de México", was a Mexican film actor, singer, producer and screenwriter. During his career, he made over 150 albums, which sold 25 million copies, and made 167 movies...

. The most famous of his other plots was made into the film Carcel de Mujeres directed by the Delgado brothers and featuring Sarita Montiel

Sara Montiel

Sara Montiel is a Spanish singer, and actress. She is still a much-loved and internationally known name in the Spanish-speaking movie and music industries....

, Miroslava and Katy Jurado

Katy Jurado

Katy Jurado , born María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García in Mexico, D.F., was a Mexican actress who had a successful film career both in Mexico and in Hollywood....

. Another idea inspired by his novels is reflected in Si yo fuera Diputado with Cantinflas

Cantinflas

Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes , was a Mexican comic film actor, producer, and screenwriter known professionally as Cantinflas. He often portrayed impoverished campesinos or a peasant of pelado origin...

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Leaving numberless poems and stories, having only begun his development as an author, with the possibility that a great career might have lain ahead of him, Barriga died of a heart attack in 1961, survived by his wife Ofelia and five children.