Juan Jose Arreola

Juan José Arreola was a Mexican writer, academic, and actor who is considered one of the masters of the short story genre in Latin America. He was born in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, in 1918, and was the fourth of fourteen children. He had to leave school at age eight and worked as a bookbinder, a journalist, a teacher, and an editor. He also studied acting in Mexico and in France, where he met famous actors and writers. He returned to Mexico in 1947 and began his literary career. He published his first collection of short stories, Varia invención, in 1949, and his most acclaimed work, Confabulario, in 1952. He also published one novel, La feria, in 1963, and several other collections of stories, essays, and sketches. His style was characterized by his humor, his use of fantasy, and his critique of modern society and religion. He received several awards, such as the National Prize for Arts and Sciences in 1979, and the FIL Award of Literature in Romance Languages in 1992. He died in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in 2001, and was buried in the Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres.