INÉS ARREDONDO: BIOGRAPHY, STYLE AND WORKS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Inés Amelia Camelo Arredondo (1928-1989) was a Mexican writer and storyteller, whose work was framed within the Generation of the Middle Century. Her literature became known late; Although she began to write in the 1950s, her books began to be published in 1965.

Arredondo's literary work was characterized by the use of precise and well-crafted language. Some of his most prominent titles were: The signal, The mirrors, Opus 123 and True story of a princess. Several of his works were translated into English and German.

Ines Arredondo. Source: Erna Pfeiffer, via Wikimedia Commons

The Mexican writer throughout her professional life carried out various tasks, both in institutions and in print media. She worked in magazines such as México en la Cultura and La dubbed Mexicana de Literatura. In addition, for her literary work, she received some recognitions.

Biography

Birth and family

Inés was born on March 20, 1928 in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa. The writer came from a wealthy family, which, after some inconvenience, lost her status. Her parents were Mario Camelo y Vega, a doctor, and Inés Arredondo Ceballos. The storyteller was the oldest of nine siblings.

Arredondo Studies

Inés Arredondo spent her childhood on the El Dorado farm, owned by her maternal grandfather, located on the outskirts of Culiacán. At the age of eight, in 1936, she began studying at a religious institution called Colegio Montferrat. Then she attended high school in Guadalajara, at the Aquiles Serdán.

Upon completing high school, in 1947, he enrolled at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) to study philosophy and letters. However, when he suffered a crisis, and tried to kill himself, he switched to Hispanic letters. After graduating in 1950, she studied drama for a year.

Shield of the UNAM, house of studies of Inés Arredondo. Source: Both, the shield and the motto, José Vasconcelos Calderón, via Wikimedia Commons

Your first contacts

Arredondo, during his years of academic training, had contact with literary currents such as surrealism, and also with the philosophy of French existentialism. The writers Juan Rulfo and Juan José Arreola were part of his readings.

Inés also shared ideas with who her classmates were: Jaime Sabines, Rosario Castellanos and Rubén Bonifaz Nuño. She was moved by the experiences of the Spanish refugees she met; from that time were her first writings.

Marriage

In 1958, when she was thirty years old, Inés Arredondo married the Spanish writer, then a naturalized Mexican, Tomás Segovia. As a result of the union, four children were born: Inés, José –who was born lifeless–, Ana and Francisco.

Arredondo and his first literary works

Inés Arredondo began working at the National Library in 1952, a job that lasted until 1955. Then she was awarded a subject at the School of Fine Arts Theater. Besides that, she managed to be a participant in the writing of the Dictionary of Latin American Literature.

The birth of a taste

Ines was a woman of extensive knowledge. That led her to work as a translator, and after that work, her taste for writing was awakened. So she began to develop her pen, and in 1957 she published her short story El membrillo in the University Magazine. From that moment on writing was essential in her life.

Later, between 1959 and 1961, she served as editor of the Dictionary of Mexican History and Biography. She also dabbled in radio and television as a content writer. She also participated in the Revista Mexicana de Literatura, but was overshadowed by her husband, Tomás Segovia.

First book

Although Inés Arredondo began writing in the 1950s, it was in 1965 that her first book came out. It was a work of the genre of stories, which was titled The signal. This piece became her most important and recognized work; with it she consolidated her career as a writer.

Marital crisis

Arredondo's married life with Segovia was short, they only lasted four years of marriage. The pair managed to stay afloat, but the end was imminent. However, in the midst of the crisis, Inés continued her professional development, receiving scholarships from both the Centro Mexicano de Escritores and the Fairfield Foundation.

In the early 1960s, she went to Uruguay to work for the Latin American Free Trade Association. In 1962 each one took their course, until finally, in 1965, the divorce materialized. The writer returned to Mexico, and was left with custody of the children.

Image of Culiacán, the birthplace of Inés Arredondo. Source: FAL56, via Wikimedia Commons

Arredondo labor charges

Inés Arredondo, throughout her professional life, held different jobs. Since 1965, and for ten years, she was a researcher at the Coordination of Humanities. She also gave some lectures in the United States and served as a professor at UNAM for three years, between 1965 and 1968.

In 1967 the writer was part of the writing of the Dictionary of Mexican Writers produced by UNAM. The theater and the press were also part of Arredondo's working life. In addition to all this, from 1966 to 1973, she worked as a researcher at the Center for History Studies.

Deteriorating health

Inés Arredondo went through several health crises during her life, including an affectation in her spine. She had to undergo surgery on several occasions, and for this reason she was in a wheelchair for a long time.

A second marriage and career advancement

In the early 1970s, the writer married for the second time. On that occasion she did it with Carlos Ruíz Sánchez, a surgeon. She also resumed her academic studies, continued with her career in letters, which ended with a degree project on the Mexican Jorge Cuesta.

International boom

Arredondo crossed borders after the publication, in 1979, of his second book, which he titled Underground River. With this book she was awarded the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize, and the good reviews earned her recognition outside of Mexico. From that moment on, her works began to be translated into other languages.

Last years and death

Inés lived her last years of life in contact with literature. She wrote True Story of a Princess, Opus 123 and The Mirrors. She also recorded some of her stories in audio, and in 1988 Complete Works was released to the public, and she also attended various social and cultural events.

Although his professional success remained firm, the same did not happen with his state of health. Over time this deteriorated, and her spinal ailments forced her to stay in bed. Unfortunately, she passed away on November 2, 1989 in Mexico City, at an early age, just sixty-one years old.

Awards and honours

- Xavier Villaurrutia Award, in 1979.

- Bernardo de Balbuena Medal in 1986, by the government of the municipality of Culiacán, Mexico.

- Doctor Honoris Causa from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, in 1988.

Style

The literary style of Inés Arredondo developed within the ranks of the so-called Generación del Medio Siglo. She used in her works a clear, simple, precise and well-elaborated language. There were also in her prose work certain lyrical nuances that gave vitality and particularity to her writings.

Arredondo was a risky writer, and she dared to develop themes that were taboo for her time. Her main plots had to do with the female role in society, with the false morality of some families and she also wrote about love, the end of life, eroticism and infidelity, to name a few.

Plays

Stories

- The signal (1965).

- Underground river (1979).

- The mirrors (1988).

Brief description of The signal (1965)

It was Arredondo's first work, and is considered one of the most important. The book was composed of fourteen stories, in which the writer dealt with disloyalty in couples, and how the lack of commitment makes a love relationship end in disappointment and disappointment.

Here are the stories that make up the book:

- "The quince".

- "Lullaby".

- "Summer".

- "Olga".

- "The foreigner".

- "The signal".

- "Flamingos".

- "To be alive".

- "Forever".

- "The House of Mirrors".

- "The Shunammite."

- "The signal".

- "Mariana".

- "Friend".

"Mariana"

In this story, Arredondo narrated the story of Mariana, but from the voice of her best friend. The life of the protagonist was known from her past, and there it is narrated how she was related to her lifelong love: Fernando.

In adulthood the lovers managed to marry. However, certain changes occurred in Mariana that turned the plot upside down.

The writer, through this story, revealed the authority that parents exercised over their children in Mexican society in the mid-20th century. It was also a story of jealousy and transformation of feelings. "Mariana" was made into a movie in 1968.

"The quince"

This story was published for the first time in 1957, in the pages of the University Magazine, it was incorporated into the series of The signal. Arredondo developed the themes of passion, lust and infidelity in the midst of a relationship that seemed to be stable.

Inés Arredondo, with her bold, passionate and uninhibited pen, narrated the story of a love triangle. The protagonists, Elisa and Miguel, saw their relationship threatened when Laura appeared to have the man's attention. At first Elisa kept calm, and then reacted in a surprising way.

essays

- Approach to Jorge Cuesta (1982).

- Essays (Posthumous Edition, 2012).

Novel

- Opus 123 (1983).

Children's book

- True story of a princess (1984).

Complete work

- Complete works (1988).

- Complete stories (Posthumous edition, 2012).

References

1. Ines Arredondo. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
2. Albarrán, C. (2018). Ines Arredondo. Mexico: Encyclopedia of Literature in Mexico. Recovered from: elem.mx.
3. Moreno, V., De la Oliva, C. and others. (2019). (N / a): Search Biographies. Recovered from: Buscabiogramas.com.
4. The sign of Inés Arredondo. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
5. López, L. (S. f.). Ines Arredondo. (N / a): Seva City. Recovered from: ciudadseva.com.