Carmen Matute is a Guatemalan writer born on January 7, 1944, in the capital of Guatemala. Graduated from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, this author graduated with a degree in Spanish Language and Literature.
Then he joined the Guatemalan Academy of Language, which is part of the Association of Academies of Spanish Language.
Likewise, she was part of the Association of Women Journalists and Writers of Guatemala (AMPEG) and the Board of Directors of the Contribution for the Decentralization of Culture (ADESCA)
He also joined the Music and Youth Foundation, the 4th World movement and the already dissolved Literary Group RIN-78.
This academic has not only written eight books of poetry, but is also the creator of two other books of narrative, works in which it is possible to feel first hand its versatility and rich rhetorical language.
Literary background
According to Aida Toledo, in his work To conjure the dream , the style of Carmen Matute follows a trend of existential cut.
Matute tries to assume a subjective voice, through which his feminist-minded thoughts can be observed.
Toledo also considers that the poetry of the Guatemalan woman presents a serious concern for social and political problems in which her country was struggling in the eighties.
He also states that, in addition to revealing certain collective airs related to social problems, Matute also touches on the erotic theme and takes it to a dimension in which he links it with death, assuming a skepticism about love.
Published works
His work has been translated into different languages, such as Swedish, English, Italian and French.
Also, his poems have been part of anthologies published in other countries, such as the United States, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Sweden, Italy, France and Costa Rica, among others. This author has published eight books of poetry:
- Unbreakable life (2004)
- On the edge of joy (2002)
- Stone house and dream (1997)
- Beads and mirages (1997, anthology)
- The designs of Eros (1994)
- Echoes of empty house (1990)
- Poet alone (1986)
- Vulnerable Circle (1981)
All these works were collected in 2013 by the editorial of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Guatemala in a book of poems called Timeless memory of fire .
In addition to this, Matute has also written two narrative books:
- Bad doll (2008)
- The Christ of kidnapping (2006, testimonial literature in co-authorship with Elizabeth Andrade)
Acknowledgments
Carmen Matute has been the representative of Guatemala in international meetings related to writing, such as the Poetry Festival of Medellín (1998) and the Congress of Writers of Ibero-America (1997).
In addition, the author has been decorated with some literary awards, among which are:
- Miguel Ángel Asturias National Literature Prize (2015)
- Medal of the Order Vicenta Laparra de la Cerda (2007)
- Unique prize in the story branch of the Hispanic-American Floral Games of Quetzaltenango (2006)
- Young Literature Contest (1996)
References
- Aida Toledo. (1988). To conjure the dream . Guatemala City, Guatemala: Editorial Abrapalabra.
- (2015). Matute, Guatemalan literature prize, asks to give voice to oppressed women . Recovered from efe.com
- Ministry of Culture and Sports of Guatemala. (2015). The writer Carmen Matute elected National Literature Prize"Miguel Angel Asturias"2015 . Recovered from mcd.gob.gt
- Ministry of Culture and Sports of Guatemala. (2015). National Literature Prize"Miguel Ángel Asturias"2015 to Carmen Matute . Recovered from mcd.gob.gt