JOSÉ FÉLIX FUENMAYOR: BIOGRAPHY, STYLE, WORKS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

José Félix Fuenmayor (1885-1967) was a Colombian writer, journalist, poet and politician, his literary work established him as one of the greatest innovators of his country's literature. On the other hand, with the development of his texts, he began the science fiction genre in Colombia in the first part of the 20th century.

Fuenmayor's literary work encompassed the novel and the report. It was characterized by the use of a simple, precise and expressive language in accordance with the vocabulary of the time. His most frequent themes had to do with the advancement of society and modernization processes.

José Félix Fuenmayor. Source: ecured.cu.

The literary work of this Colombian writer was recognized long after his death, despite his outstanding interventions in the printed media of his country. Its production was scarce and only four publications are known, among them: Cosme and the posthumous Death on the Street.

Biography

Birth and family

José Félix Fuenmayor Palacio was born on April 7, 1885 in Barranquilla, where he came from a cultured family with a good socioeconomic position originally from Venezuela, specifically from the city of Maracaibo. His father was the doctor Heliodoro Fuenmayor and his mother was named Ana Elvira Palacio.

Studies

Fuenmayor studied his first years of academic training at the Biffi College in his hometown. In 1904 he went to Bogotá to study commerce and accounting at the Liceo Mercantil (also known as Colegio Ramírez). Upon completing his professional training, he returned to Barranquilla to practice his profession.

First tasks

José Félix settled again in Barranquilla in 1909 and the following year the taste he felt for letters led him to publish his first work entitled Muses of the tropics. It was a collection of poems that included some verses translated into Spanish from Italian and French.

At that time the writer dedicated himself to his career as an accountant. So he carried out the trade on his own account and on several occasions he served as a public official. He became a Departmental Comptroller and between 1919 and 1921 he was elected deputy for the Atlantic.

Professional growth

Fuenmayor's professional growth in the field of literature was consolidated at the end of the 1920s, with the publication of: Cosme in 1927 and A sad adventure of fourteen wise men in 1928. Later, he created the newspaper El Liberal de Barranquilla, of which he was director.

Personal life

Little has been researched and written about the life of José Félix Fuenmayor, but it is known that he formed a family. In his younger years he married Celia Campis, who became his life partner. As a result of love, six children were born Héctor, Alfonso, Félix, Eduardo, Elvira and Viña.

The Barranquilla Group

Gabriel García Máquez, one of the writers with whom Fuenmayor shared in the Barranquilla Group. Source: Jose Lara, via Wikimedia Commons

Fuenmayor was an intellectual concerned with learning about the literary advances and innovations that were emerging. So he was part of the Barranquilla Group for more than a decade, motivated by the idea of ​​knowing more. The meetings were attended by personalities such as Gabriel García Márquez and Alejandro Obregón.

Last years and death

The last years of Fuenmayor's life were spent dedicated to journalism and writing. For a time he wrote for the newspaper El Comercio and collaborated for La Semana Ilustrada and Mundial.

Although the writer focused on completing the work Death on the Street, he did not have the opportunity to see it published. His life ended on August 30, 1967 in the city of Barranquilla. Two months after his death, the Papel Sobrante publishing house released the aforementioned work as a tribute to the writer.

Style

The literary style of José Félix Fuenmayor was characterized by the use of simple, colloquial and precise language. Good humor and irony were evidenced in his work, as well as his cunning and liveliness in telling stories. His themes were related to the modernity of his time and some experiences related to existence.

Plays

- Muses of the tropics (1910).

- Cosme (1927).

- A sad adventure of fourteen wise men (1928).

- Death on the street (1967, posthumous edition).

Brief description of some of his works

Muses of the tropics

It was the first publication made by the writer, being of poetic content. The verses included in the work had been published by the author in various local newspapers. Fuenmayor demonstrated with this work his affinity for the modernist current that emerged in his time.

In general, the poems that were contained in this publication reflected the training of the writer. In some cases, Fuenmayor was guided by the established rhythm and metrics and in others he was freer. The work also contained some poetic translations from French and Italian.

Cosme

It was one of the best known works by Fuenmayor, which was loaded with modernity and symbolism. Through a simple and expressive language, the author narrated the story of a young man named Cosme and his relationship with a society that is in constant evolution.

The novel has certain autobiographical features, in relation to the profession of the protagonist and the activities carried out by his parents. The work also recounted the economic and social changes that arose in Barranquilla at the beginning of the 20th century.

Fragment of

“Today a dog barked at me. It was a little while ago, four or five or six or seven blocks down. Not that she barked at me properly, or that she wanted to bite me, not that. He was approaching me, lengthening his body, but ready to pick it up, his snout stretched out like they do when they are suspicious, but they want to smell…

"… Then he stood up, leaned back without turning around, sat down to howl and no longer looked at me but up…

“Now I don't know why I have sat here on this sardinel, at night, when I was on my way home. It seems that I could not go one step further and that cannot be; because my legs, the poor ones very skinny, have never tired of walking… ”.

References

1. De Jaime, G. (S. f.). José Félix Fuenmayor. Colombia: Hispavista Galleon. Recovered from: letrasperdidas.galeon.com.
2. José Félix Fuenmayor. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
3. Martínez, A. (2011). José Félix Fuenmayor in the Colombian literary scene. Colombia: Aleph Magazine. Recovered from: revistaaleph.com.co.
4. Ortega, M. (2005). The carnival vision in the novel Cosme, by José Félix Fuenmayor. Spain: Speculum. Recovered from: webs.ucm.es.
5. Villegas, A. (2018). Death on the street by José Félix Fuenmayor. (N / a): Secret Reading Club. Recovered from: clubsecretodelectura.blogspot.com.