Augusto Monterroso
Augusto Monterroso was a prominent Guatemalan writer born in 1921, whose early life was marked by his family's relocations between Honduras and Guatemala. By the age of sixteen, he settled in Guatemala City, where he engaged deeply with local literary circles and political movements aiming to challenge the ruling regime. After facing political exile, he eventually found a home in Mexico, where he continued his literary endeavors until his death in 2003. Monterroso is celebrated for his concise writing style, notably exemplified by his famous seven-word story, "El dinosaurio," which invites diverse interpretations.
His works often feature short fiction and fables that explore themes of human behavior, tolerance, and the necessity of forgiveness. Monterroso's unique ability to blend satire with compassion has drawn comparisons between his writing and that of other renowned Latin American authors like Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortazar. He is also recognized for his mastery of parody, as seen in works such as "Lo demás es silencio: La vida y la obra de Eduardo Torres." Monterroso's contributions to literature are lauded for their depth and insight into human character flaws, making him one of the most significant literary figures in Latin America.
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Subject Terms
Augusto Monterroso
Writer
- Born: December 21, 1921
- Birthplace: Tegucigalpa, Honduras
- Died: February 7, 2003
- Place of death: Mexico City, Mexico
Biography
Augusto Monterroso was born in 1921 in Hondoras, his mother’s birthplace. His father was from Guatemala, and the young Monterroso lived in both countries. This constant moving, however, caused problems with his education. By the time he was sixteen, the family had settled in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where the teenager began a rigorous program of self-education and participated in local literary groups, most notably the Association of Young Artists or the 1940’s Generation. In addition, he became involved in the political movement that sought to replace the Guatemalan President Jorge Ubico y Castañeda. However, while Ubico was eventually ousted from office, he was replaced with someone similar to himself and Monterroso was forced into exile and ultimately settled in Mexico. The author died in 2003 in Mexico City.
Monterroso is considered one of the finest Guatemalan writers, highly regarded for the rigorous style and demanding quality of his work. He wrote with great brevity. For instance, his story, “El dinosaurio,” is a mere seven words long, and translates into English as “When he awoke, the dinosaur was still there.” This one-sentence story, according to one critic, is highly ambiguous and can be interpreted in many different ways. Monterroso also writes with great force, and his strength as a writer is often contrasted with other Latin American writers who tend towards long and overly elaborate prose. Some critics maintain Monterroso’s short fiction is on a par with the work of Latin American writers Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortazar.
Monterroso’s preferred form of writing is short fiction, particularly the fable, which he uses to provide lessons about tolerance for human behavior and the need for forgiveness. He also is a master of parody. In Lo demás es silencio: La vida y la obra de Eduardo Torres, the protagonist, writer Eduardo Torres, suffers from nightmares and comes to believe that everything in life is a complete farce and that every person in the human race is just like him.
Numbered among Monterrroso’s awards is the 1989 El Aguila Azteca. Critics praise Monterroso for describing human failure and defects of character with insightful compassion matched with bitter satire and parody.