Alejandro Aura

Alejandro Aura (Mexico City, Mexico; March 2, 1944 – Madrid, Spain; July 30, 2008) was a Mexican writer, essayist, poet, playwright and actor, as well as a culture promoter and television host.

Biography

Alejandro Aura was born on March 2, 1944, to a family from the San Rafael borough of Mexico City. His father Olimpo Aura Pineda was a mathematician, and his mother Ema Palacios Ordorica, whose grandfather Manuel Ordorica worked at the National Palace of Mexico with President Porfirio Díaz, was descendant of an aristocratic family. From a young age, Alejandro developed a passion for literature writing poetry, plays, essays, short fiction and fiction. He was also characterized by his political activism by participating actively in the student movement of 1968.[1]

Besides his literary activities, he was director of the Theater and Dance department of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.[2] In March, 1995, Aura created the national reading club "Aureolas" in his cultural bar "El hijo del cuervo'" in Coyoacán, where he presented several artistic, cultural and social activities between 1984 and 1999.[2] In 1998, he created and directed the Institute of Culture of Mexico City (nowadays, Secretary of Culture) during Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas' term as Head of Government, until 2001.[1] During his term, Aura promoted the use of public spaces for cultural activities and created reading clubs.[1] He was director of the Institute of Culture of Mexico in Madrid, Spain from July, 2001, to December, 2003.[2]

He got first married to Elsa Cross, with whom he had a daughter, Cecilia Aura Cross (1968-2007), then to Emma Ruiz and to actress Verónica Langer, with whom he had a son, Pablo Aura.[3] He later married Carmen Boullosa, with whom he had two children: María and Juan Aura.[1] In Madrid, he met his last wife, Milagros Revenega, with whom he spent his last days. Alejandro Aura died on July 30, 2008 in Madrid.

He was awarded the Latin-American Award for Short Fiction in 1969 for Los baños de Celeste (Celeste's Baths), and the National Award for Poetry Aguascalientes in 1973 for Volver a casa (Coming Home).[4]

Works

Short fiction
  • Los baños de Celeste (1969)
  • La historia de Nápoles (1988)
  • La hora íntima de Agustín Lara (1993)
  • El otro lado (1993)

Poetry
  • Cinco veces la flor, in Poesía Joven de México (1967)
  • Alianza para vivir (1969)
  • Varios desnudos y dos docenas de naturalezas muertas (1971)
  • Volver a casa (1974)
  • Tambor interno (1975)
  • Hemisferio sur (1982)
  • La patria vieja (1986)
  • Cinco veces (1989)
  • Poeta en la mañana (1991)

Drama
  • Los exaltados (1974)
  • Las visitas (1979)
  • Salón calavera (1982)
  • Xe bubulú (1984), in collaboration with Carmen Boullosa.
  • Salón calavera, Las visitas and Bang (1987)

References
  1. "Falleció el escritor Alejandro Aura en Madrid". La Jornada. 2008-07-30. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  2. "El poeta mexicano Alejandro Aura presenta su nuevo libro "Poemas y otros poemas" en la UGR". Notas de Prensa de la Universidad de Granada. 2004-04-29. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  3. Boullosa, Carmen (2008-08-01). "Una ciudad llamada Alejandro Aura". Canal 22. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  4. "Fallece en Madrid el poeta y dramaturgo mexicano Alejandro Aura". El mundo. 2008-08-25. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
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