Many works of Mexican writers Have been internationally renowned for their ideas. Literary authors recognized as Octavio Paz, are a letter of introduction of the Mexican people and their customs.
The XX Century was very fruitful for the country and many schools and literary slopes were developed, nevertheless at present there are authors who also stand out for their brilliance in the letters.
I leave you a list of 40 Mexican writers, current, contemporary and historical, who have most influenced Mexican literature, being also some important figures of the country. They have written especially novels, poetry, theater, essays and short stories.
1- Juana Inés de Asbaje and Ramírez de Santillana (1651 - 1695)
Better known as Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was called"the Phoenix of America","the Tenth Musa"or"the Tenth Mexican Muse".
It is considered an exponent of the New Spanish literature and of the Golden Age of Spanish literature. His most outstanding works are"Love is more labyrinth"and"The pawns of a house". He was a poet and also wrote plays.
2 - Octavio Paz (1914 - 1998)
Great representative of the Latin American letters . This author Was an essayist, narrator, translator, poet and Nobel Prize for Literature in 1990.
His works were characterized by their eroticism, their impersonal and surrealistic tone. Among his most outstanding works are"Luna silvestre","Poemas","Libertad bajo palabra","Águila Violenta","Salamandra","Between stone and flower"and"Pasado en claro".
3 - Carlos Fuentes (1928 - 2012)
He was one of the members of the Latin American Boom and one of the most relevant figures in Latin American literature. Thanks to his novels, essays and literary criticism, he was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Letters.
He founded the Mexican Journal of Literature. Among his works are"Days masked", Aura ," Sacred area" ,"The most transparent region","The death of Artemio Cruz","Tierra nostra"and"Cristobal Nonato".
4- Juan Rulfo (1917 - 1986)
The books"Pedro Páramo"and"El Llano en llamas"have been translated into many languages and studied in literary schools around the world.
Although Juan Rulfo wrote few books, the depth of his works has been recognized for portraying the human condition and idiosyncrasy of the Mexican people.
5 - Jaime Sabines (1926 - 1999)
Creator of the works"Adam and Eve"and"Bad weather"was characterized by its informal and spontaneous language that reflects the lives of ordinary people.
He was a poet, novelist and essayist. He is considered one of the most important poets of Century XX in Mexican Literature.
6- Juan José Arreola Zúñiga (1918 - 2001)
The most surprising thing about this writer is that his training was self-taught, since he never finished primary school. He was a writer, translator, academic and editor of important magazines like Cuadernos del Unicornio or Eos, Jalisciense Magazine of Literature.
Its works Bestiario, La Feria and Confabulario stand out. He is one of the most important promoters of the Mexican contemporary fantastic story.
7- Rosario Castellanos (1925 - 1974)
Not only is she considered one of the most important Mexican writers of the 20th century, but her works are an excursion into the history of women in Mexico.
This diplomat and writer stood out for works such as"Cooking Lesson: Cooking, Shutting Up and Obeying Husband"and"The Eternal Feminine", the latter being a play.
8- Alfonso Reyes (1889 - 1959)
He is recognized as one of the best writers of Hispanic America in the twentieth century. He introduced different literary genres throughout his career as poetry, essay, novel and theatrical works.
He published"Aesthetic Questions"- his first book in 1910. He was also the ambassador of Mexico to Argentina and was a friend of the most illustrious Latin American writers of the time.
9- Carlos Monsiváis (1938 - 2010)
Collaborated with newspapers and cultural supplements from an early age. He wrote in different literary genres like stories, essays and chronicles.
His works are distinguished by irony, satire and acid humor, and deal with different topics such as the transformations of Mexican society due to technology or social movements.
10- Elena Poniatowska (1932 -)
Born in France, but of Mexican soul she is one of the most important writers of the present time. His works deal with important issues in the Mexican history of the twentieth century.
He has stood out for his novels and essays, such as"La noche de Tlatelolco. Testimonies of oral history". Other of his works are:"Until you do not see, my Jesus","The skin of the sky","Night friday"or"The seven goats." She is one of the few Mexican women who has a Cervantes Award.
11- José Emilio Pacheco (1939 - 2014)
The member of the generation of the fifties, this author wrote diverse works throughout his career: from story to essay.
They emphasize his works"The blood of Medusa","The distant wind and other stories","The principle of the pleasure","You will die far"and"The battles in the desert". In addition he was author of the column of opinion Inventory of the newspaper Excélsior.
12- Guadalupe Nettel (1973 -)
The winner of the Herralde Prize for novel and the prize of Narrativa Breve Ribera del Duero, this author is one of the most popular of the present time.
He is also an essayist and storyteller. His book"After the Winter"has been translated into more than 10 languages.
13- Alberto Chimal (1970 -)
He is one of the most popular and eccentric writers of today in Mexico. His works do not deal with the usual themes of Mexican literature, and are more similar to European fantastic literature. Its works Gray, the slaves and Neighbors of the Earth stand out.
14- Laura Esquivel (1950 -)
The author writes plays, screenplays, short stories and novels, such as"The law of love","Intimas suculencias"and"Estrellita marinera".
15- Martín Luis Guzmán (1887 - 1976)
It is the exponent of the novel of the revolution and realism. Politician, journalist and writer. Its literary creation was distinguished with diverse recognitions in the world of the letters.
All of his literary creation was based on the history of Mexico. For example,"Chronicles of my exile","The shadow of the caudillo","Memories of Pancho Villa"and"Historical deaths".
16- Mariano Azuela (1873-1952)
He was a recognized Mexican narrator and maximum exponent of the revolutionary novel. This genre highlights his work"Los de abajo", based on testimonies and oral sources.
His other works reflect the social tension that Mexico experienced because of armed struggles. Some of his works are"Failures","Mala Yerba","The caciques","The flies","The tribulations of a decent family"and"The woman tamed."
17- Juan Villoro (1956 -)
He is one of the most popular writers of today in Mexico. His work includes different genres as the chronicle, the essay, the story and the novel.
Some of his most famous works are"Shot of Argon". "The Witness","Ready Matter","Amsterdam Calls","The Night Navigable","Pools"and"The Guilty".
He is a columnist for the Mexican newspaper Reforma, the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio and sporadically for the magazine El Malpensante.
18- Paco Ignacio Taibo II (1949 -)
He is one of the most widely read Mexican authors. In spite of being born in Spain, in his own words his country is Mexico.
He not only writes black novels, but also author of biographies of characters such as Ché Guevara and Franciso"Pancho"Villa. He is also a trade union political activist.
19 - Sergio Pitol Deméneghi (1933 -)
He is also a translator and diplomat. In his stories he touches on topics such as the current politics of the country and because the human being is below the State. His first works were dark and according to the author were"an attempt to escape"from a sick world.
Among his most recent works he deals with topics such as marital problems. His works"Hell of all"and"La vida conyugal"stand out.
20- Devil Guardian of Xavier Velasco (1964 -)
Being the winner of the 6th Prize Alfaguara was announced. Writers like Carlos Fuentes have cataloged Velasco as the future of Mexican literature.
He is also a journalist and has collaborated with many newspapers, such as El Universal, La Crónica, Milenio, El Nacional, Reforma and El País. One of his last books"The Age of Panging"is based on his own life.
21- Julian Herbert (1971 -)
He is the author of"Tomb Song"and is a poet, essayist, musician, storyteller, novelist, teacher and cultural promoter.
His first work"Dead Soldiers"was widely accepted among readers. Shortly after this collection, he published his first novel"Un mundo infiello", also with good acceptance.
22- Álvaro Enrigue Soler (1969 -)
Postmodernist writer. He is considered one of the most important contemporary narrators of Mexico. Three of his works stand out:"Sudden death"; Awarded the Herralde Prize,"Hypothermia"and"The death of an installer".
He is the fourth Mexican writer who wins the Herralde Prize. He has worked as a journalist and university professor.
23- Cristina Rivera Garza (1964 -)
Writer and professor. She is one of the most important representatives of the Latin American literature of the present time. His works"No one will see me cry","The crest of Ilion""and"Death gives me"have been awarded prizes.
Carlos Fuentes considered the novel"No one will see me cry"as"one of the most remarkable works of literature not only Mexican, but in Castilian, of the turn of the century." Rivera Garza resides in the United States and is a university professor.
24- Guillermo Fadanelli (1959 or 1960 -)
Founder of the magazine Moho, he is one of the most important writers of the Mexican news. His works portray the life of underground groups in Mexico.
He is also the cultural promoter of several underground art projects. His works are marked by pessimism, irony, skepticism and life in the city.
It is also based on your own writing experience. For example his work"Educate to moles"are based on his own experience when studying in a military school.
25- Jorge Volpi (1968 -)
Founding member of the crack generation. He is one of the most prolific writers of today in Mexico. Some of his works have reached international fame and have been translated into more than 25 languages.
He has received awards such as the Biblioteca Brief Prize and the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. He collaborates with the Mexican weekly Proceso, the Spanish newspaper El País. He runs a blog, called El Boomeran (g). He has been a university professor.
26- The musician, writer and activist Tryno Maldonado (1977 -)
He is the author of the books"Themes and Variations","Heavy Metals","Red Vienna","Hunting Season for Black Lion"and"Theory of Disasters", the latter has been considered by critics as"one of The most relevant books of this generation".
Author of the narrative report"Ayotzinapa. The face of the disappeared,"based on the testimonies of relatives and survivors of this crime. He is guitarist of the band Scarlett Johansson. His works are fictional and postmodern.
27- José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi (1776 - 1827)
He was the first novelist of America. His work El Periquillo Sarniento, published in 1816, is essential for the study of linguistics of the time. This book is of great historical importance as it describes the customs of New Spain.
28- Rafael Bernal and García Pimentel (1915 - 1972)
He was publicist, historian, diplomat, writer and screenwriter. Well known for his detective novels, especially"The Mongolian Plot". He traveled tirelessly throughout his life touring North America and some countries of Central America and South America.
He also visited the Philippines, Japan and Switzerland, where he died. He was a radio and television journalist, he entered the cinema as a producer and made some adaptations of literary works to scripts. Bernal wrote poetry, theater, stories and history books.
29- Elena Garro (1916 - 1998)
Founder of magical realism. He was also a scriptwriter, playwright, storyteller and journalist. They emphasize his works like"A solid home","The memories of the future"and"The week of colors".
Elena Garro was the wife of Octavia Paz, of whom she divorced after having a daughter. After the massacre of Tlatelolco in 1968, Garro criticized Mexican intellectuals who supported the students although according to her"then they left to their fate", reason why was very criticized.
His story"The fault is the Tlaxcaltecas"promotes feminist ideas about the role of women in society.
30- Federico Gamboa Iglesias (1864 - 1939)
Maximum exponent of naturalism in Mexico. He was a writer and diplomat. Author of plays, novels, articles for newspapers and magazines, as well as an autobiography and his memoirs, which were published posthumously. Some of his works are Santa, Metamorphosis and The Last Campaign.
31- Fernando del Paso Morante (1935 -)
The draftsman, painter, diplomat, academic and writer is hidden by three novels that are considered as the best of the Mexican narrative of the twentieth century:"José Trigo","Palinuro de Mexico"and"News of the Empire." In 2015 he was awarded the Cervantes Prize. He has also received the International Prize Alfonso Reyes.
32- Carlos of Sigüenza and Góngora (1645 - 1700)
This polymath, historian and writer occupied academic and governmental positions in the colony. The first archaeological excavations in Mexico were organized by Góngora in Teotihuacan in 1675. He is the author of the book"Philosophical Manifesto against the Comets", which he wrote to calm the fear caused by this cosmic phenomenon among ordinary people.
His novel"Misfortunes of Alonso Ramírez", published in 1690, was considered of the genre of fiction, but the last scientific investigations indicate that this book could be based on the life of a real personage. He was one of the first intellectuals of New Spain.
33- Ruiz de Alarcón and Mendoza (1580 or 1581-1639)
The novelist of the Golden Age cultivated different branches of the dramaturgy. Among his works,"The Suspicious Truth"stands out. This comedy is one of the most important works of Spanish-American baroque theater.
His works"The walls hear"and"The privileged breasts"are comparable to the pieces of Lope de Vega or Tirso de Molina.
34- Jorge Ibargüengoitia Antillón (1928 - 1983)
He stood out for his high critical sense. His novels, plays, stories and newspaper articles are impregnated with a fine and wild sarcasm.
His prose is agile to ridicule and expose his characters, who mostly represent national or provincial political and economic power.
His works unmask the myth of the era of stability of the PRI, when he was the hegemonic party in Mexico. Its obars"The lightning bolts of August"and"The attack"stand out.
35- José Rubén Romero (1890 - 1952)
The writer and playwright published his first work in 1902 in the newspaper El Pantheon and later became a constant contributor to Michoacan newspapers such as El Buen Combate, Iris, La Actualidad, El Telescopio y Flor de Loto.
Most of his works deal with the problem of the Mexican revolution. His works include"Fantasias","Rimas Bohemias","My horse, my dog and my rifle"and"The useless life of Pito Pérez".
36- Ángel Efrén del Campo Valle (1868 - 1908)
Journalist and writer costumbrista, better known as Micros or Tic Tac, was precursor of the realist novel. He was influenced by literary positivism and his works denote his great concern for the social.
All his works were developed in a similar urban environment, Mexico City and its characters were marginalized or people of inferior social status to their opponents in history.
In addition his creations accentuate the inequitable society of the time. In his work"La rumba"describes the social conditions of the Mexican Revolution. His second novel is in disappearance since the original text was lost and no copies have been found.
37- Carlos Valdés Vázquez (1928 - 1991)
The famous exponent of the Generation of Half Century, this author was writer, essayist and translator. His first book"Absencias", published in 1955, is characterized by a realistic style.
Since then Carlos Valdés already dominated the realistic style. Their stories are full of intertwined irony and fiction. This style prevails in his stories and novels.
Mexican literary criticism has pointed to the autobiographical tendency of his works. He founded and has been director of the independent literary magazine Cuadernos del Viento. Some of his works are The Voice of the Earth and The Abandoned Cathedral.
38- Juan García Ponce (1932 - 2003)
Member of the"Generation of Half Century"was a novelist, essayist, literary critic and art. He was editorial secretary of the Journal of the University of Mexico.
For his career has received awards, such as the Mexico City Theater Award, Xavier Villaurrutia Prize, Elías Sourasky Prize, Anagrama Award and others. His works include"Manuel Álvarez Bravo","Thomas Mann Vivo","Joaquín Clausell","Rufino Tamayo","Five Women"and others.
39-Gerardo Horacio Porcayo Villalobos (1966 -)
She is one of the most important representatives of the fantastic literature and science fiction of Mexico.
He was one of the most popular writers of the 1990s and is considered to have introduced cyberpunk to Ibero-American literature with his work"The First Street of Solitude", and the neo-Gothic subgenre to Mexican literature.
He has worked to spread science fiction in Mexico. He founded the Mexican Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Other important works are Dolorosa and Silicio in memory.
40- José Luis Zárate Herrera (1966 -)
He is one of the most recognized and respected representatives of science fiction genre in Mexico. Is a science fiction writer, although he has also written literary works of other genres.
His work includes poetry, narrative and essay. Its theme allows to consider it a member of the renovating movement of Mexican literature in the late twentieth century.
This group of young writers abandoned the prevailing nationalism until that moment and became more universal and cosmopolitan. That is, they write less about social or historical issues, and are enthusiastic about fantastic literature.
Zárate is one of the founders of the Mexican Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy and of the Puebla Circle of Science Fiction and Scientific Dissemination.