Juan José Arreola
| Juan Jose Arreola | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 21, 1918 |
| Died | December 3, 2001 |
Juan José Arreola Zúñiga (September 21, 1918 – December 3, 2001) was a Mexican writer and academic. He is considered Mexico's premier experimental short story writer of the twentieth century. Arreola is recognized as one of the first Latin American writers to abandon realism; he used elements of fantasy to underscore existentialist and absurdist ideas in his work. Although he is little known outside his native country, Arreola has served as the literary inspiration for a legion of Mexican writers who have sought to transform their country's realistic literary tradition by introducing elements of magical realism, satire, and allegory. Alongside Jorge Luis Borges, he is considered one of the masters of the hybrid subgenre of the essay-story. He published only one novel, La feria (The Fair; 1963).
Arreola was born in Ciudad Guzmán, in the state of Jalisco. He was the fourth son out of fourteen of Felipe Arreola and Victoria Zúñiga. In 1930, he began working as a bookbinder, which led to a series of other jobs. In 1937, he relocated to Mexico City, where he entered the Theatrical School of Fine Arts (Escuela Teatral de Bellas Artes).
In 1941, while working as a professor, he published his first work, Sueño de Navidad ("Christmas Dream"). In 1942 he also wrote a short story called "Un Pacto con el Diablo" ("A Pact with the Devil"). In 1943, while working as a journalist, he published his second work, Hizo el bien mientras vivió ("He did well as long as he lived"). In 1945, he collaborated with Juan Rulfo and Antonio Alatorre to publish the literary journal Pan.
Shortly afterward, he traveled to Paris at the invitation of Louis Jouvet. During this time, he became acquainted with Jean-Louis Barrault and Pierre Renoir. A year later he returned to Mexico.
In 1948, he worked as an editor for the journal Fondo de Cultura Económica, and obtained a grant from El Colegio de México. His first collection of short stories, Varia invención, was published in 1949. Around 1950, he began collaborating on the anthology Los Presentes, and received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.
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