Miguel Otero Silva
| Miguel Otero Silva | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 26, 1908 Barcelona, Anzoátegui |
| Died | August 28, 1985 (aged 76) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Occupation | journalist, novelist, poet, politician |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Notable works | Casas Muertas (1955) |
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Miguel Otero Silva (October 26, 1908 - August 28, 1985), was a Venezuelan writer, journalist, humorist and politician. Remaining a figure of great reference in Venezuelan literature, his literary and journalistic works were strictly related to the social and political history of Venezuela. Before the establishment of democracy in 1958, he was repeatedly forced into exile; afterwards, he was elected to the Venezuelan Senate.
Born in Barcelona, Anzoátegui State, moved to Caracas at very young age, to study in the Liceo Caracas. He applied to the Universidad Central de Venezuela for studies in civil engineering. During this time, takes place his early literary activity, writing for magazines and newspapers, such as Élite and Fantoches, and other university publications, besides entering journalism.
During the Student’s Week of the year 1928, Otero Silva formed part of a series of protests against the rule of then-president Juan Vicente Gómez (see Generation of 1928); in addition to this, he also became involved in a military plot to overthrow the government. Due to this, Otero Silva was forced to get into exile, in Curaçao. There, along with Gustavo Machado, Rafael Urbina López and other Venezuelan expatriates in June 1929 taking of Fort Amsterdam in Willemstad, in another attempt to overthrow president Gómez. This movement involved the kidnapping of the governor Leonardus Albert Fruytier by 250 men with the support of communists as José Tomás Jiménez, and Guillermo Prince Lara. They plundered weapons, ammunition and the treasury of the island and hauled the governor Fruytier off to Venezuelan coasts on the stolen American ship Maracaibo. The revolutionaries landing at La Vela de Coro but were defeated by Gómez forces, and the raid ended in failure. After this failed raid Otero Silva went into exile in Colombia with Machado, Urbina and others revolutionaries. During this time, Otero Silva worked on his first novel, Fiebre (Fever), later published in 1939. By 1930 he had become affiliated to the Comintern, having plenty of interest for Marxist thinking.
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