ELENA GARRO: BIOGRAPHY, STYLE, WORKS AND PHRASES - LITERATURE - 2024

Elena Delfina Garro Navarro (1916-1998) was a Mexican writer, playwright, screenwriter, and journalist. The development of her work has been framed by critics within magical realism, that is, the expression of the unreal within the day to day. In addition, she has been considered one of the most relevant intellectuals of the 20th century.

Garro's work encompassed different literary genres, among which stood out: poetry, novels, short stories and essays. His writings were characterized by magic and mystery, also by the development of taboo subjects for the society in which he lived, such as the right of women to be free.

Elena Garro. Source: CITRU Documentation, via Wikimedia Commons

Some scholars of Elena's life, as well as her own testimony, agreed that her married life with fellow writer Octavio Paz was difficult. The development of her literary work was overshadowed and stalled for a time, both by marriage and by a series of unfortunate events that happened.

Biography

Birth and family

Elena Garro was born on December 11, 1916 in the town of Puebla de los Ángeles, Puebla. She came from a politically revolutionary middle class family. Her parents were José Antonio Garro Melendreras, Spanish, and Esperanza Navarro, Mexican. The couple had five children.

Elena Garro's education

Elena Garro lived her early childhood years in the city of Iguala, in the state of Guerrero, where she received her early education. In 1928, when she was twelve years old, she went to Mexico City where she completed her high school studies. Then she entered the Colegio San Idelfonso where she studied high school.

Coat of arms of the UNAM, National Autonomous University of Mexico. Source: Both, the shield and the motto, José Vasconcelos Calderón, via Wikimedia Commons

Soon after, he began to train in philosophy and letters at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Later, in the same house of studies, he began his training in Spanish letters, since from an early age he had manifested his ability and ability to write.

Marriage with Octavio Paz

When Elena Garro was still studying at university, she met the writer Octavio Paz. Then in 1937, when she was just twenty-one years old, they were married; That meant that Garro did not finish her career in Spanish letters, because a month later they traveled to Spain. They had a daughter named Helena.

Experience in Spain

II International Congress of Writers for the Defense of Culture. Source: II International Congress of Writers for the Defense of Culture, via Wikimedia Commons

Just married, Garro traveled with her husband to Spain to attend the II International Congress of Antifascist Writers for the Defense of Culture. Such experience served the writer to develop Memories of Spain 1937, where she expressed the behavior of the personalities who attended.

Situation with Peace

According to the scholars of Garro's life, and his own version, from the beginning his marriage to Paz was doomed. In the early forties her husband was unfaithful to her with Bona Tibertelli, who was a painter. While Elena fell in love with Adolfo Bioy Casares, an Argentine writer.

Elena Garro lived in the shadow of her husband, her professional activities were reduced. In 1947 the writer tried to kill herself because she felt depressed and frustrated. However, she recovered, and the marriage managed to survive for a few more years.

Companion of a diplomat

Shortly after returning from Spain, Garro and her husband went to live in the United States, he had obtained a scholarship. Then she took advantage of specializing in the University of California at Berkeley, later she began a life of travel with her husband.

Although Elena Garro had a talent for letters and writing, for a long time she could not dedicate herself to such a task. This was due to the fact that she had to behave like the wife of a diplomat, since Octavio Paz for a decade held that role in several countries.

Elena came to light

Elena returned to Mexico in 1953, after having lived abroad for ten years, both in France, India and Japan, in the company of her husband. Three years after having settled in her country, she managed to publish three titles, of a dramatic nature and of short length.

Octavio Paz, who was her husband. Source: Photo: Jonn Leffmann, via Wikimedia Commons

The titles that made her known as a playwright in 1956 were: The pillars of Doña Blanca, Walking through the branches and A solid home. The latter was the most renowned, it was published in 1957 in two magazines. In 1959 she separated from her husband Octavio Paz.

A time of darkness

In the sixties Elena Garro experienced a series of vicissitudes that led her to travel a path of darkness. Coupled with the marital separation, there was also professional stagnation. In addition to the aforementioned, there were also the problems he had for accusing the PRI party of being oppressive.

On the other hand, Elena made strong criticisms of communism, which resulted in her being monitored by the Mexican secret police and the Central Intelligence Agency. At the same time, she was accused of supplying information related to the 1968 student movement.

Accusations against other intellectuals

Elena Garro was charged with reporting on the activities carried out by Mexican students in 1968, which resulted in the well-known Tlatelolco massacre. According to the authorities at the time, the writer had accused several intellectuals of such an event.

1968 movement in Mexico. Source: Cel·lí, via Wikimedia Commons

Among the personalities that Elena had supposedly pointed out were: Rosario Castellanos, Carlos Monsiváis, Leonora Carrington and Luís Villoro. Although the writer's daughter denied such accusations to her mother, they were victims of threats and reprisals.

Self-exile

The 68 student events that took place in Mexico and the alleged accusations that Elena Garro made against some intellectual figures forced her to leave Mexico. The writer was subjected to attacks, and her colleagues rejected her.

So from 1972, and for almost twenty years, he lived outside his country, first he took refuge in the United States, and then in France. During that period her work as a writer was interrupted, she was practically forced, out of fear, to live in anonymity for about ten years.

Last years of life and death

Elena Garro visited Mexico in 1991, and made the decision to return permanently in 1993. The writer went to live in Cuernavaca with her daughter and several cats. She died on August 22, 1998, at the age of eighty-one, due to lung cancer.

Awards and honours

- Xavier Villaurrutia Prize in 1963 for the novel The memories of the future.

- The Grijalbo Prize in 1981 for the novel Testimonios sobre Mariana.

- Colima Fine Arts Narrative Award for Work Published in 1996.

- Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Award in 1996.

Style

Elena Garro's literary style was characterized by having a clear, precise and expressive language. In addition, the writer developed her works within the so-called magical realism, so the strange, unreal, illogical and amazing were elements present in her work.

In Garro's work it was common to observe a dynamic narrative, and in constant movement. Also the characters of the writer had magical and unlikely characteristics, where fantasy transported the reader to unknown and surprising worlds.

Plays

Stories

Brief description of the most representative story

The ring

It was one of Garro's best-known stories, which was about a family that, in addition to living in extreme misery, suffered the abuse and offenses of their father. The story was narrated by Camila, the mother, who does not rest in giving love and protection to her children.

Gabino, who was the head of the family and the cause of the beatings, seeing that his children were growing up, felt the fear of being attacked by them. The tale reaches its peak when the mother got a gold ring and gave it to his eldest daughter, Severina, who lost it to his lover.

Fragment

“Come on, Camila, a golden ring! And I bent down and took it. It was not theft. The street is the street and what belongs to the street belongs to all of us. It was very cold and had no stones: it was a wedding ring.

It dried in the palm of my hand and I didn't think I missed any fingers because it stayed still and then warmed up. On the way home I kept saying to myself: I'll give it to Severina, my oldest daughter… ”.

Novel

- The memories of the future (1963).

- Testimonies about Mariana (1981).

- Reunion of characters (1982).

- The house by the river (1983).

- And Matarazo did not call (1991).

- A red suit for a duel (1996).

- A heart in a trash can (1996).

- Look for my obituary and first love (1998).

- My little sister Magdalena (1998).

Brief description of the most significant novels

The memories of the future

It was Elena Garro's first novel, which was structured in two parts. Each of the sections into which it was divided dealt with topics related to the history of Mexico. With this publication, the writer won the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize in 1963.

Argument

The story of the novel is based on the Moncada brothers during the Cristero War in the town of Ixtepec. In the play, it is the town itself who describes the events that its inhabitants experienced due to the actions of General Francisco Rosas, motivated by his love for Julia.

The argument takes a turn when Felipe Hurtado arrived in town, a man who destabilized Rosas's security after falling in love with his beloved. At the same time, Hurtado gave citizens a different vision of life through poetry and theater.

The Moncada

When Rosas did not hear from Julia, he decided to go find Hurtado at the Moncada family, but he realized that both had fled. Furious at the situation, General Francisco attacked the town. At the time, Rosas fell in love with Isabel Moncada, however, her brother Nicolás is murdered by her.

The young Isabel was deeply affected to discover that the man with whom she was in love ended her brother's life. There the unreal element characteristic of Garro entered, as the lady turned to stone after pain and suffering, General Rosas disappeared forever.

Characters

- General Francisco Rosas: military ruler of the town of Ixtepec.

- Felipe Hurtado: artist who gave the citizens of Ixtepec a dose of joy, while he fled with Julia, Rosas's beloved.

- Julia Andrade: she is Rosas's young lover, whose beauty made her attractive to all men.

- Isabel Moncada: at the beginning of the novel she began as a child, she evolved into an intelligent lady who fell in love with Rosas.

- Nicolás Moncada: he was Isabel's protective brother, who was also the victim of the wrath of his sister's lover.

- Juan Cariño: he was one of the optimistic characters in history, his pretensions were aimed at making the town a prosperous place.

Fragment

“I passed her almost in fear, feeling ugly and silly. He knew that Julia's radiance diminished her beauty. Despite her humiliation, fascinated by love, she superstitiously approached her, hoping that something would rub off on her ”.

Character Reunion

This work by the Mexican writer was framed within the magical realism movement, that is, the story expressed unreal and fantastic events developed in everyday life. Elena Garro was influenced by titles from Evelyn Waugh and Scott Fitzgerald.

The play dealt with the life of Veronica, a woman who had a stormy relationship with Frank. The couple constantly fled aimlessly across Europe, due to the man committing murder. Finally, the characters are related to the writers who influenced Elena Garro.

Fragment

“… A bad step had been to disobey her father and marry without his consent, then the flood had fallen on her and from that day on, fear seized her. Fear had led her to flee from her husband, later from Frank, who then caught up with her, and now she had to flee again ”.

Theater

- A solid home (1957).

- The Magician King (1958).

- The move (1959).

- The lady on her balcony (1959).

- The tree (1963).

- The silly lady (1963).

- The dogs (1965).

- Felipe Ángeles (1967).

- Benito Fernández (1981).

- The trail (1981).

- Parada San Ángel (Posthumous edition, 2005).

Brief description of the most representative plays

A solid home

It was one of the first plays that Elena Garro wrote with lyrical language. In addition, she separated from the traditional to direct herself towards the idea of life after leaving the earthly plane. The author did not develop time or space, the irrational became present.

The story is about a family that waited for the birth of Lilia, its last member, to wait for the end of life together. Finally, the characters find their place in eternity through the symbolism of death as a place that cannot be left.

Publication

In 1957, Garro's play was published in several magazines, including Tomorrow and Sur. In that same year, it was brought to the stage by the Poesía en Voz Alta theater group directed by Juan José Arreola, the public welcomed it, and was chosen as the best work of that year.

Characters

- Clemente, 60 years old.

- Mama Jesusita, 80 years old.

- Doña Gertrudis, 40 years old.

- Muni, 28 years old.

- Lidia, 32 years old.

- Vicente Mejía, 23 years old.

- Eva, 20 years old.

- Catalina, 5 years old.

Fragment

Voice of Doña Gertrudis –Clemente, Clemente! I hear footsteps!

Clemente's voice –You are always hearing footsteps! Why are women so impatient? Always anticipating what is going to happen, predicting calamities.

Voice of Doña Gertrudis –Well, I can hear you.

Clemente's voice –No, woman, you are always wrong; you get carried away by your nostalgia for catastrophes…

Voice of Doña Gertrudis –It's true… But this time I'm not wrong.

Felipe Angeles

It was a Garro play based on an event from the Mexican Revolution, related to the trial against General Felipe Ángeles. In this work the Mexican writer developed in documentary form from the arrival of the hero to Chihuahua until the moment of her execution.

Felipe Ángeles was published for the first time in the Guadalajara Coatl magazine in 1967. Later, on October 3, 1978, it was presented at the Ciudad Universitaria Theater. Then, in 1979, Elena's work, under the direction of Hugo Galarza, opened the Sitges festival in Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Fragment

General Diéguez - The arrival of the prisoner will cause a riot…

Bautista - Since last night the reinforcement troops have been garrisoned. Today at dawn, the soldiers swept with their rifle butts the people who wanted to take the theater by storm, when there was no room in the room. Later we cleaned the surroundings of unrest and the troops closed the intersections.

General Diéguez - The man is contradictory. Last night when I arrived in Chihuahua, I was surprised by the hostile crowd that closed in my path. I even thought I wouldn't make it out alive.

Bautista - This is the city of Francisco Villa and General Felipe Angeles left here to take Zacatecas. They do not forget that. They were expecting him last night, and seeing you angered them, my general.

Testimony

- Memories of Spain 1937 (1992).

Short description

Memories of Spain 1937

This work by Elena Garro referred to her experience in Spain after attending with her husband Octavio Paz the Second International Congress of Writers for the Defense of Culture, held in 1937. The writer compiled the actions of intellectuals in the face of the Spanish situation.

Garro, through uninhibited language, expressed the opinions of the writers before the Second Spanish Republic, as well as their opposition to fascism. In addition, he shared the experience of having met the writer Antonio Machado and his mother in the city of Valencia.

Style

The language used by Garro in these memoirs was precise, clear and at the same time full of sagacity, enthusiasm and coherence. The publication was characterized by being unique and different from the others referring to the same topic. It was in 1992 that the book was released.

Fragment

“The intellectuals were busy with the congress and the presentations. Me, with fear. Manolo Altolaguirre, with light cinnamon eyes and a childish smile, assured me: Elenita, don't worry, I'm very afraid too… And Manolo looked up at the sky… ”.

Reportage

- Mexican Revolutionaries (1997).

Phrases

- “Misery, like physical pain, equals the minutes. The days become the same day, the acts the same act and the people a single useless character. The world loses its variety, the light is annihilated and the miracles are abolished ”.

- "The memory of the future is valid, but it has annoyed me, and I am changing the endings of all my unpublished stories and novels to modify my future."

- "Before the steps of a man always go the steps of a woman."

- "Here the illusion is paid with life."

- “My people are dark skinned. They wear a white blanket and wear huaraches… they are adorned with gold necklaces or a pink silk scarf is tied around their neck. She moves slowly, talks little and gazes at the sky. In the afternoons, when the sun goes down, she sings ”.

- "In the depth of the lie there is always something perverse."

- "I would like to have no memory or become pious dust to escape the condemnation of looking at me."

- "I had the impression that death was just a step from the imperfect to the perfect."

- "For us Indians, it is the infinite time to be silent."

- “One generation succeeds the other, and each one repeats the steps of the previous one. Only a moment before dying they discovered that it was possible to dream and draw the world in their own way, and then wake up and start a different drawing ”.

References

1. Elena Garro. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
2. Flores, M. (2018). Elena Garro, the wife, victim and enemy of Octavio Paz. Mexico: De10mx. Recovered from: de10mx.com.
3. Elena Garro and magical realism. (2014). (N / a): Millennium. Recovered from: milenio.com
4. Who is Elena Garro? (S. f.). (N / a): Literatura.us. Recovered from: literature.us.
5. 10 Elena Garro phrases to remember her. (2017). Mexico: Uno TV. Recovered from: unotv.com.