Luis Cardoza y Aragón
Luis Cardoza y Aragón was a prominent Guatemalan writer and intellectual, born on June 21, 1901, in Antigua, Guatemala. Raised in a politically active family, he was influenced by his father's liberal views and the tumultuous events surrounding his youth, including a devastating earthquake in 1917. Cardoza y Aragón's literary journey began with local publications, but his aspirations led him to study in the United States and later in Paris, where he became immersed in the avant-garde movements of the time and formed connections with notable figures like André Breton and Pablo Picasso.
He published his first poetry collection, *Luna Park*, in 1923, followed by significant works in art criticism. His career flourished during his time in Mexico, where he became a leading authority on Mexican art and contributed extensively to literary and political discourse. After returning to Guatemala and serving as a diplomat, he continued his prolific writing, authoring over sixty books, including the influential *Guatemala: Las líneas de su mano*. Cardoza y Aragón received numerous accolades, such as the Orden del Águila Azteca and a doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of San Carlo. His legacy as a vital figure in 20th-century Guatemalan literature and art criticism endures, reflecting his significant contributions to cultural discourse in Latin America before his death in 1992.
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Subject Terms
Luis Cardoza y Aragón
Nonfiction Writer and Poet
- Born: June 21, 1904
- Birthplace: La Antigua, Guatemala
- Died: September 4, 1992
- Place of death: Mexico City, Mexico
Biography
Luis Cardoza y Aragón was born on June 21, 1901, in Antigua, Guatemala, to Gregorio Cardoza and Gertrudis Aragón. His father was a liberal lawyer and political activist. Cardoza y Aragón read the writers of the Spanish Golden Age as well as those of the Latin American Modernismo movement. He was also well versed infin de siécle European literature. Cardoza y Aragón’s earliest writings were for a school magazine and editorials for local newspapers. His father was imprisoned for his political views about the same time that much of Guatemala was destroyed by an earthquake in 1917, two events that affected young Cardoza y Aragón
In 1920, Cardoza y Aragón traveled to the United States, and then on to Paris in 1921 to study medicine. His medical studies were short lived, however; the heady intellectual atmosphere of the Paris artistic and literary scene captured his interest. He formed friendships with the founders of Surrealism, André Breton and Antonin Artaud, as well as with cubist painter Pablo Picasso. In 1923, he published his first book of poetry, Luna Park: Instantáneas del siglo XX. In 1927, he published his first book of art criticism.
After briefly returning to Guatemala, Cardoza y Aragón was appointed general counsel in Havana, Cuba, where he began an important friendship with the Spanish poet Frederico García Lorca in 1930. He next lived in London briefly before moving to Mexico, where he lived from 1932 to 1944. During these years, Cardoza y Aragón became a leading expert on Mexican art, publishing many books on the subject. In addition, he wrote political and social commentary for newspapers and published a book of poetry.
Cardoza y Aragón returned to Guatemala in 1944, and then served as a diplomat for eight years. He continued writing during this time, working on one of his most important books, Guatemala: Las líneas de su mano, a book of cultural essays.
In 1952, Cardoza y Aragón moved permanently to Mexico and once again became one of the most important writers of art criticism in the country. He continued to publish poetry over the next twenty years as well. In all, the prolific writer produced more than sixty books before his death in Mexico City in 1992.
Cardoza y Aragón’s achievements were many. The Mexican government awarded Cardoza y Aragón the Orden del Aguila Azteca in 1979, and Nicuaragua gave him the Orden de la Independencia Cultural Rubén Darío. The University of San Carlo in Guatemala named him professor emeritus in 1970 and honored him with a doctorate Honoris Causa in 1992. The same year he received the Matzatlán de Literatura prize for his book on novelist Miguel Angel Asturias. Through his poetry, essays, and art criticism, Cardoza y Aragón established himself as one of the most important Guatemalan writers and thinkers of the twentieth century.