Carlos Fuentes, Master Wordsmith, Has Passed

Sad news, kids: 83-year-old Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes died yesterday in Mexico City of an internal hemorrhage. While Fuentes never carried as much celebrity in the States as other Latin American writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, he's no lightweight; the Prince of Asturias Award and the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, two of the most coveted awards for writers of the Spanish language, are just a few of the achievements under his belt. 

And as The New York Times points out, Carlos was one of the few Latin American writers from El Boom that was more ideological than political:

"He tended to embrace justice and basic human rights regardless of political labels. He supported Fidel Castro’s revolution in Cuba, but turned against it as Mr. Castro became increasingly authoritarian. He sympathized with Indian rebels in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas and skewered the administration of George W. Bush over its antiterrorism tactics and immigration policies, calling them unduly harsh."

Carlos grew up all over the world: Argentina, Chile, Mexico, US, Switzerland, etc. Because of that, he never waved any specific flag which is why some colleagues, such as Octavio Paz, criticized him for "lacking true Mexican identity." That's actually the reason why I liked Carlos; rampant nationalism usually segregates the peoples which is why, I think, Fuentes dodged it.  

Here's a recent interview of Carlos Fuentes discussing the Mexican presidential elections with Carmen Aristegui:

Q.D.E.P., Carlos Fuentes.

Source: NYT