JOSÉ LÓPEZ PORTILLO Y ROJAS: BIOGRAPHY AND MAIN WORKS - HISTORY - 2024

José López Portillo y Rojas (1850-1923) was a Mexican writer who was quite successful, especially for his short stories and novels. Apart from being a man of letters, he also held various political positions both in his state and at the national level. López Portillo is part of a very important family saga in the history of Mexico.

His father was governor of Jalisco, one of his sons was the historian José López Portillo y Weber, and his grandson José Lopez Portillo y Pacheco became president of the country during the six-year term 1976 - 1982. The writer began medical studies, but soon He left it, going on to study a law degree

For some years he taught classes on this subject, although never leaving what would be his great vocation, writing. The genres that made him famous were the novel and the story.

However, he also published poetry and some essays, apart from collaborating with various newspapers and magazines. His merits led him to be named a member of the Mexican Academy of the Language.

Early years and studies

Born on May 26 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, López Portillo belonged to a family with important political connections, as well as a good economic position.

For example, his father was governor of his state, and had previously held the position of imperial prefect during the mandate of Emperor Maximilian I. For his part, his mother had been a lady of the Court of the Empress.

The primary stage was attended at the Minor Seminary and after finishing it he moved to Mexico, where he continued his studies at the Major Seminary.

Link with literature

Already at that time he demonstrated his love for literature, being the head of a student publication when he was only 12 years old. It even seems that he wrote a novel at the age of 14, although there is no copy of it left.

López Portillo was about to dedicate himself to medicine, but after starting to study this discipline he repented and decided to enter law school. In 1871 he finished this race, obtaining his title.

The good family economic position allowed him to dedicate his next 3 years to travel the world. She toured the United States and then jumped to Europe and the Middle East. This experience helped him to write the book Egypt and Palestine, travel notes, published in 1874.

Professional life

After his trip, López Portillo returned to his city. There, in Guadalajara, he began to work simultaneously with three different activities. He practiced as a lawyer, devoted himself to teaching various disciplines at the School of Jurisprudence and continued to write stories and books.

A very important year for him was 1886. López Portillo founded a magazine that would continue to appear until 1890. During the season in which it was published, it was considered one of the best in the entire country.

Political charges

Following the family trajectory, López was also interested in Mexican politics. During his life he held several different positions, starting with that of federal deputy. However, the fall of President Lerdo de Tejada did not end his term and he returned to his profession.

In the interval between that first political office and the next, the writer made a name for himself by writing for various newspapers. Among them are El Eco Social and Las Clases Productores, both from Guadalajara.

In 1880 he was a deputy again during the government of Manuel González. Later, in 1911, he held the position that his father had once held: governor of Jalisco. Finally, the time he served as Foreign Minister in the government of Victoriano Huerta stands out.

The beginning of the Revolution made him leave the world of politics, definitively returning to Guadalajara to work in the field of law and, above all, to write.

Member of the Academy

The literary and journalistic merits that López Portillo accumulated convinced the Mexican Academy of Language to appoint him a corresponding member on May 31, 1892.

Finally, in 1903 he obtained the consideration of full member in 1903. In that institution he worked as secretary until 1916, the year in which he obtained the position of director.

Personal life

Regarding the author's personal life, his two marriages can be highlighted. The first took place in 1875, with his first wife he had 3 children (although two of them died shortly after birth). The second was even more prolific: they married in 1884 and had 10 children.

José López Portillo Rojas died in Mexico City on May 22, 1923.

Main works

López Portillo covered most genres during his career in literature: from poetry to drama, without forgetting his stories.

He not only wrote fiction, as he is the author of books on law, philosophy, politics, and history, as well as his articles in many media outlets. However, he stood out above all for his novels, which had a background of vindication of Mexican nationalism.

The first work he managed to publish was Egypt and Palestine. Travel notes, in 1874. It is a compendium of the impressions and experiences after the long three-year trip he made outside of Mexico in his youth.

The writer did not always sign his real name, sometimes using the pseudonyms Yussuf-ben-Issa ("Joseph, son of Jesus" in Arabic) or Farfalla.

Short stories

Apart from the novel, López Portillo got rave reviews for his short stories, a genre in which he performed masterfully. According to the experts, these stories have a clear regionalist and naturalistic tone.

Among the most outstanding works are some such as Six legends (1883), Short novels (1909), Events and short novels (1903) and Histories, comic strips and short stories (1918).

Long novels

As has already been pointed out, long novels are the genre with which López was most successful. In these he exhibits a style that many describe as romantic-nationalist. His books include Six Legends and The Indigenous Race, in addition to the following:

The plot

It portrays a plot of land disputes between two landowners and the conflicts caused by love between their children. In this work López Portillo describes the Mexican regional and peasant environment.

Strong and weak

It is framed during the beginning of the Mexican Revolution, with a description of the relations between peasants and landowners.

The precursors

On a social theme, Los precursors touches on the issue of closure in convents.

References

1. Mac Gregor, Josefina. José López Portillo and Rojas. Recovered from acervo.sre.gob.mx
2. Society30. In 1850 José López Portillo y Rojas was born. Obtained from sociedadtrespuntocero.com
3. Epdlp. José López Portillo and Rojas. Retrieved from epdlp.com
4. Courteous, Eladio. Dictionary of Mexican Literature. Recovered from books.google.es
5. Rapp, Jacob W. Living the Polemic: The Mexican Novel in the Age of Modernismo, 1876-1908. Recovered from kuscholarworks.ku.edu
6. Brushwood, John S. Mexico in Its Novel: A Nation's Search for Identity. Recovered from books.google.es
7. Menton, Seymour. The Spanish American Short Story: A Critical Anthology. Recovered from books.google.es