Carlos Fuentes is one of those rare writers who, by the sheer power of literary art, has defined the cultural, emotional and hereditary identity of an entire continent.

A novelist, essayist, scholar and diplomat, he is recognized worldwide as one of the greatest literary and political figures of the Spanish-speaking world.

Fuentes’ novels (including the classics Terra Nostra, The Death of Artemio Cruz and the New York Times bestseller, The Old Gringo) look deeply into the identity of Latin America, its internal conflicts with its triplicate lineage (Native American, African and Spanish) and its contentious relationship with the superpower to the north.

In his essays and nonfiction work (including The Buried Mirror, which was made into a TV series for the Discovery Channel), he seeks to reclaim that identity and celebrate the rich contributions of Hispanic culture. Says Fuentes, “Culture is the product of many races and many traditions. We are all descendants of Greeks and Romans, Arabs and Jews. We must examine those roots to discover who we are today.”
 
The scope and power of his work is undeniable. He was the leading figure of Latin America’s literary “boom” of the 1960s and 70s and has garnered some of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, including: the National Prize in Literature, Mexico’s greatest literary award; and the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, the highest honor for a Spanish-language writer. He also was awarded France’s Legion of Honor (regarded internationally as the highest honor given to civilians) and was the first ever recipient of the Latin Civilization Award, presented by the Presidents of Brazil, Mexico and France.
 

He was amazing...He got the longest standing ovation of any Chubb Fellow I have ever seen.

Yale University

Free of ideology and party lines, Fuentes is an independent political voice with an instinct for social justice. The son of a Mexican diplomat, he spent most of his childhood in Washington, D.C. After earning his law degree, he served as a government official in many capacities, including Director of International Cultural Relations for Mexico’s Ministry of Exterior Relations and the Mexican Ambassador to France.

Fuentes inaugurated the Robert F. Kennedy Chair in Latin American Studies at Harvard and was the Simon Bolivar Professor at Cambridge. He has been a visiting professor at Princeton and is currently Professor at Large at Brown University.

His The Old Gringo, the first ever U.S. bestseller by a Mexican author, was made into a film starring Jane Fonda and Gregory Peck. His other books include Inez and The Years With Laura Diaz. In This I Believe: A Life From A to Z, Fuentes surveys the wellsprings of art and ideology, the events that have shaped our time, and his extraordinary life and fiercest passions. It was awarded the Spanish Royal Academy’s prize for best book of the year in 2004.

His latest novel, The Eagle’s Throne, is an acidic black comedy and an indictment of modern politics. Kirkus Reviews called it “one of his best books” and Library Journal said, “[Fuentes] is at the top of his storytelling mastery."