Carlos Fuentes was a renowned Mexican writer, author of drama and horror books, born in Panama to a diplomat father. He traveled extensively throughout North and South America, Europe, and learned English at age four in Washington, D.C. Fuentes studied law at the University of Mexico and later attended the Institute of Advanced International Studies in Geneva.
He was a member of the Mexican delegation to the International Labour Organization in Geneva, cultural officer of the ministry, and ambassador to France. Fuentes also cofounded and edited several periodicals, including Revista Mexicana de literatura.
His notable novels include Las buenas conciencias, which explores the moral compromises of Mexico's transition from a rural to urban economy, and La muerte de Artemio Cruz, which established him as a major international novelist. Other notable works include Cambio de piel, Terra nostra, and Diana; o, la cazadora solitaria.
Fuentes wrote several plays, including Todos los gatos son pardos, a drama about the Spanish conquest of Mexico, and Ceremonias del alba, a revised version of the play. His nonfiction works include La nueva novela hispanoamericana, Cervantes; o, la critica de la lectura, and El espejo enterrado.
Fuentes was awarded the Cervantes Prize in 1987 and was considered one of the foremost Mexican writers of the 20th century. He died on May 15, 2012.
