Miguel Ángel Asturias

Life lamenting death in the bars near the General Cemetery is the starting point for this snail-structured novel. Friday of Sorrows and the relationship between Tantanis and Ana Julia serve as the pretext for Miguel Ángel Asturias to expose the nature of power: the need to possess it, to retain it, and to denounce those who wield and abuse it in every social stratum and space. Asturias captures the soul of this society, a soul composed of thousands of souls—simple souls, petty souls, anguished souls, manipulative souls, loving souls, human souls.

In addition to narrating stories and characters, the language in Friday of Sorrows evokes images, sounds, smells, sensations, and thoughts, enabling the reader to immerse themselves and live through the scenes, to feel the slow or swift passage of time and people, to want to engage in the dialogues. With this novel, readers will hear the buzzing of the lamps hanging at the necropolis gate, buzzing that follows tiny storm rays among crackling coals, and soon after, the incandescent explosion of white, milky, eyeless light.

The action takes place around the year 1600, after the Spanish conquest of Guatemala has concluded. Released from the army, five Spaniards embark on a personal adventure: the search for the place where the two oceans unite underground beneath the Green Andes. With exuberant prose, Asturias creates a violent, exaggerated world full of enormous contrasts, in which the extraordinary symbiosis of mestizaje ultimately occurs.

Asturias illustrates the parable of destitute farmer who, dissatisfied with his life and economic misfortune, makes a deal with the devil: Tazol. The mysterious demon proceeds to require tasks of the man, the first of which weaves a story involving sensuous temptation and attraction to the forbidden. This challenging novel combines aspects of Mayan and Catholic religion in a broad allegory for the power and price of belief.

Mulata de tal received the Silla Monsegur Prize for the best Spanish-American novel published in France.

In a universe where nature is inhabited by gods and demons, where superstition and Catholicism blend their beliefs and rituals, where dreams are the doors through which the past is reclaimed and the future glimpsed, a boy embarks on a fabulous adventure through the violent tropical wilderness, filled with symbols, omens, and enchantments.

Asturias wrote an epic trilogy about the exploitation of the native Indians on banana plantations. This trilogy comprises three novels: Viento fuerte (Strong Wind; 1950), El Papa Verde (The Green Pope; 1954), and Los ojos de los enterrados (The Eyes of the Interred; 1960). It is a fictional account of the results of foreign control over the Central American banana industry.  

Loosely based on the history of the United Fruit Company in Guatemala, Asturias presents us with characters from the multiethnic mix of Central America. The Green Pope is a banana mogul who falls in love with a Guatemalan girl, but she disappears, either drowning herself in the river or joining the anti gringo underground. A gringo couple dies in a storm and astonishes everyone by bequeathing their banana-rich land to two Guatemalan families. The family members deal with this in different ways.

Viento fuerte is the novel that opens the banana trilogy, along with El Papa verde and Los ojos de los enterrados. The Guatemalan economy was subjected to the monoculture of bananas for decades. This work is both an homage to the pioneers and a denunciation of the inhumane and cruel capitalism that solidified corruption in all spheres of political power.

Miguel Ángel Asturias uses the voice of the rural mestizo, the new indigenous person, who will be the new man of the revolution, alienated by the dishonest practices of Tropical Bananera S.A. and its allies. This new indigenous person, driven from their lands, victimized, seeking subsistence in the unhealthy heat of the coast, ended up trapped by the monopoly, enslaved, consumptive, syphilitic, alcoholic, with a soul as altered as the landscape. In parallel, we meet the Americans, allied with the corrupt oligarchy, isolated in their bungalows, running the company from their northern palaces, all narrated with a realism that is sometimes Frank Norris and sometimes Scott Fitzgerald, showing us the distant green empire of money, the world of those who benefit from the fruits of the land without working it. The offered solution is the sacrifice of the revolution. Fed up, Hermenegildo Puac sacrifices himself for liberation, so that Chamá Rito Perraj, who transcends time, can invoke the mythical force of nature in a liturgy that is both a Mayan mural and a socialist banner. The apocalyptic destruction caused by the revolutionary hurricane is also a return to balance.

Social protest and poetry; reality and myth; nostalgia for an uncorrupted, golden past; sensual human enjoyment of the present; 'magic' rather than lineal time, and, above all, a tender, compassionate love for the living, fertile, wondrous land and the struggling, hopeful people of Guatemala.

The title Hombres de maíz refers to the Maya Indians' belief that their flesh was made of corn.

A landmark text in Latin American literature, El señor Presidente explores the nature of political dictatorship and its effects on society. One of the most notable works of the dictator novel genre, El señor Presidente developed from an earlier Asturias short story, written to protest social injustice in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in the author's home town.

In an unnamed country, an egomaniacal dictator schemes to dispose of a political adversary and maintain his grip on power. As tyranny takes hold, everyone is forced to choose between compromise and death. Inspired by life under the regime of President Manuel Estrada Cabrera of Guatemala, where it was banned for many years, and infused with exuberant lyricism, Mayan symbolism, and Guatemalan vernacular, Nobel Prize winner Miguel Ángel Asturias’s magnum opus is at once a surrealist masterpiece, a blade-sharp satire of totalitarianism, and a gripping portrait of psychological terror.

“. . . Shakespearean in scale . . . Electrifying vividness animates every page. . . . What makes Mr. President extraordinary is not simply its enduring subject, but also its operatic and inventive multiform style . . . equally cinematic and poetic. It is reminiscent of Kafka and Beckett in its surreal flights within the consciousnesses of the mad or dying, or within the narrative of myth. . . . The novelʼs vision is relentlessly dark . . . but its execution is exhilarating, daring, even wild. Asturiasʼs boldness is repeatedly arresting, and his descriptions unforgettable. . . . [An] extraordinary and darkly prescient satire of life under brutal dictatorship.” ―Claire Messud, Harper’s Magazine

“Reading Mr. President, it’s impossible not to think about the current, sad situation in Guatemala, where endemic corruption, lawlessness, savage drug traffickers, heartless human smugglers, and staggering economic inequality . . . have driven hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans to attempt risky illegal entry into the United States. . . . But Asturias knew how to moderate those horrors by, thankfully, releasing the tension with absurd or scathingly mocking scenes.” ―The Washington Post

“.. the story speaks not only to Latin America’s cycles of tyranny but to a United States and a Europe confronting, for the first time since it was published, in 1946, a new wave of authoritarian leaders on the rise. . . . What makes Mr. President a ‘tour de force of great originality,’ as the Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa notes in a foreword to the new translation, is not its plot but its use of language, with invented words, songs, rhythms, and ‘astonishing metaphors.’ ” ―The New Yorker

“A truly magical work. It is the kind of performance that strains at the limits of a novelist’s craft and is seldom repeated in a writer’s career except by genius.” ―The New York Times

"A Novel the CIA Spent a Fortune to Suppress." By Joel Whitney, Literature in Translation

Once again incorporating his vast knowledge of Mayan and Guatemalan folklore, Miguel Asturias imbues nine bold short stories and a portico with aspects of Guatemalan history and mythology, delving into poetically depicted natural dreamscapes. In Mirror of Lida Sal, Asturias fabricates an exquisitely detailed Guatemala lost to its own people, a people who maintain the steady hope for the future of their land.

Weekend in Guatemala is a volume of stories woven by Miguel Ángel Asturias around the historical moment in 1954 when the Guatemalan government of Colonel Jacobo Arbenz was overthrown by the self-styled "Liberation Army," sponsored by the CIA. This collection offers a realistic, passionate narration with an evident socio-political pulse; the stories are written in the heat of indignation.

In Leyendas de Guatemala, Asturias intersects fantastical legends of both Mayan people and Guatemalan colonial traditions in the cities of Tikal and Copan, as well as Santiago and Antigua. Asturias dazzles with elaborate imagery of epic battles between Earthly and divine spirits, utilizing evocative prose and chronicling the joining of somewhat disparate cultures.

La obra radiografía una sociedad oprimida por el caudillismo militar del que muchos pueblos latinoamericanos fueron víctimas en el siglo XX. La tranquilidad social a la que aspira cualquier autoritarismo dista de la realidad de los personajes de la historia, habituales en cualquier comunidad caribeña. Sus historias particulares se entrelazan en una trama que expone las paradojas de un país rico en recursos pero con unas diferencias sociales muy marcadas.

Incluye los textos: Chantaje, Dique seco, Solana y La audencia de los confines. 

Incursión de Asturias en la figura del padre Las Casas. Este propicia un análisis de las relaciones entre blancos e indios en América, la reivindicación de la cultura india, y una denuncia de la codicia de los más poderosos.

Un acontecimiento cósmico, un eclipse, incide en el destino de los personajes. El autor también desvela el tema recurrente de la vida como ilusión. La pieza contrasta la vastedad cósmica y el modesto destino de la pareja.

Tecún Umán fue un gran guerrero, el último líder de los maya - k'iche en Guatemala.https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultura_mayahttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quich%C3%A9_(etnia)https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quich%C3%A9_(etnia)https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quich%C3%A9_(etnia)https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala Fue vencido por el conquistador español Pedro de Alvarado en los prados de El Pinal, en el valle de Olintepeque. Esta obra reivindica su memoria y, al hacerlo, tiene un puente con la Guatemala indígena.

Este trabajo corresponde a un momento creativo en que la riqueza verbal cedía su sitio a la retórica, y la sintaxis se dislocaba para perderse en un sinnúmero de imágenes aisladas. No en vano, esta es una narración sin personaje, sostenida por una leyenda que fragmenta la continuidad y el ritmo del relato. Así, la narración se diluye paulatinamente en escenas plásticas supuestamente alucinadas.

Esta polifonía abarca a una generación de escritores que han definido la historia literaria de América Latina. Quien conozca a Asturias encontrará en la lectura de este libro aspectos que reforzarán la exégesis de su obra. Quien se acerque por primera vez descubrirá algunos elementos clave en su trayectoria.

El autor alcanza un nivel literario elevadísimo mediante la absoluta novedad de acentos, cantando a los orígenes de las artes y de los artistas.

La noche del 10 de marzo de 1952, Miguel Angel Asturias leyó este poema entonces inédito ante amigos suyos de la ciudad de La Plata (Argentina). En agradeciemiento por la primicia, sus admiradores locales se encargaron de que este mensaje de amor a la Argentina se imprimiera.

Curioso ejercicio de estilo en que el poeta guatemalteco se deja abducir por el genio clásico e imposta al gran Horacio. 

Entre 1924 y 1933, Asturias pasa largas temporadas en París, donde tiene extensas entrevistas con figuras de la cultura hispánica (Unamuno, Blasco Ibáñez, etc.). Este volumen recoge algunas de esas charlas.

Volumen ilustrado con fotografías de Sara Facio y María Cristina Oribe. La obra recoge imágenes de las diversas religiones que se profesan hoy en Guatemala. Miguel Ángel Asturias es https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_%C3%81ngel_Asturias el autor del prólogo.

El intelectual reflexiona sobre uno de sus tema preferidos: la realidad de América Latina y sus perspectivas de futuro. En ese período de su vida, sus conclusiones son poco halagadoras para los poderes establecidos.

Asturias' university thesis, "The Social Problem of the Indian," was published in 1923. 

The five fables that make up this volume were letters the author wrote to his children, dated between January and March of 1947. Each fable is preceded by an excerpt from the letter it was part of. These delightful fables are narrated in the characteristic language of Miguel Ángel Asturias, which is simultaneously prose, poetry, and music.

The story starts in the salt bed of a man that had it all, all and all, and ends with the meeting of Chilabaco, the great toad, who opens his heart. During the surrealist trajectory, the reader will travel in some jumping slippers through time and space; they will visit the Rome of the Popes, the Babylonian circus, the exotic Egypt… And even rich very rich, the Man that had it all, all, still lacks a wish to come true: to find the avocado seed for his son.

Illustrated by Rafa Vivas. 

Recopilación de textos breves de Asturias, en los que evoca sus vivencias viajeras y divaga sobre cualquier tema. Resultan especialmente emocionantes sus comentarios del escritor español Arturo Barea, sobre quien expresa una gran admiración.

Two acclaimed and celebrated voices – Asturias and Neruda – meet, contrast texts, and engage in dialogue. Characteristics of "Comiendo en Hungría" include its playful and festive nature, its informality, heterogeneity, and hybridity. The text takes on the guise of a recipe book and a travel diary, but it is not entirely either. This creates a playful façade complemented by numerous autobiographical moments.

El autor visita la Rumanía de Ceaucescu y queda impresionado por la industrialización acelerada. Su visión es un tanto sesgada, ya que en el destino ve muchas cosas que él anhelaría para su propio país, como la modernización productiva.

Texto escrito desde Bolivia, donde el autor narra en primera persona sus vivencias y las impresiones que le sugiere el país. Las vivencias y el contraste le permiten aventurar hipótesis para todo el continente.

En  “Biblioteca Premio Nobel” (tres tomos).

• 1955-1961. Obras escogidas. Ed. Aguilar (dos tomos). Incluye: Leyendas de Guatemala, El Señor Presidente, Hombres de maíz, Sien de alondra, Ejercicios poéticos sobre temas de Horacio, Viento fuerte, El Papa verde y Week-end en Guatemala. 
• 1957. Antología de prosistas guatemaltecos. Leyendas, tradición y novela. Ed. Universitaria de Guatemala. Incluye Leyendas de Guatemala, El Señor Presidente, Hombres de maíz y Viento fuerte. 
• 1959. Historia y antología del cuento y la novela en Hispanoamérica. Ed. “Las Américas” Publishing Company. Asturias colabora en esta obra con su relato breve Kinkaju. 
• 1961. Hdaniz vlastni ruky. Ed. Mladà Fronta (en checo). Incluye los poemas Bolívar, Alto es el sur, Guatemala, Marimba tocada por los indios, Credo, Amanecer en el delta del Paraná y Elegía. 
• 1963. Los cien mejores poemas latinoamericanos. Ed. Nuestra América. Miguel Ángel Asturias participa con su poema Creo en la Libertad. 
• 1965. Pagine suelte di Miguel Ángel Asturias. Edizioni Universitarie La Goliardica (en italiano). 
• 1968. Antología de Miguel Ángel Asturias. Ed. Costa Amic.
• 1968. Ausgewahlte gedichte. Ed. Hermann Luchterhand (en alemán). Selección de poemas. 
• 1969. Miguel Ángel Asturias en la literatura. Ed. Guatemala.
• 1969. Les Prix Nobel en 1967. Ed. Imprimerie Royale P.A. Norstedt y Soner (en francés).
• 1971. Novelas y cuentos de juventud. Ed. Centre de Recherches de l’Institut d’Études Hispaniques.
  
• 1971. Nobel Prize Library. Ed. CRM Publishers (en inglés). Incluye El Señor Presidente. 
• 1972. Fiction and poetry from Spanish America (1920-1970). Ed. Grossman Publishers (en inglés). Incluye El espejo de Lida Sal. 
• 1973. Mi mejor obra – Autoantología. Ed. Organización Editorial Novaro. 
• 1974. Lo mejor de mi obra - Autoantología. Ed. Organización Editorial Novaro. 
• 1975. Trilogías americanas. Ed. Organización Editorial Novaro. Incluye Leyendas de Guatemala. 
• 1975. Pantheon der nobelprijwinnaars literatuur Verhalen. Ed. Uitgeverii Heideland Orbis N.V. (en neerlandés). Incluye los textos Week-End en Guatemala, Americanos todos, La Galla, El bueyón, Cadáveres para la publicidad, Los agrarios y Torotumbo. 
• 1977. Tres obras. Ed. Biblioteca Ayacucho. Incluye Leyendas de Guatemala, El Alhajadito y El Señor Presidente. 
• 1990. Messages indiens. Ed. Gallimard (en francés). Incluye Mensajes indios, Clarivigilia Primaveral y En Gran Lengua. 
• 1991. Deux hivers (Dos de invierno y otras narraciones de juventud). Ed. Ramsay-De Cortanze (en francés). 
• 1993. Obras Selectas de Premios Nobel. Ed. Planeta.
  

Archivo de audio que presenta a Miguel Ángel Asturias leyendo fragmentos de El Señor Presidente, Cara de ángel y Todo el orbe cante.

Presentación oficial del escritor, creada por la Academia Sueca con motivo de la entrega de su Premio Nobel.