Carlos Monsivais, one of Mexico’s most prolific writers and highly regarded social commentators, died of respiratory failure last week at the age of 72.
His death came almost exactly 24 hours after the demise of another prominent author, Portugal’s Jose Saramago, the Nobel Literature Prize winner, who passed away on the island of Lanzarote at the age of 87.
The two men were staunch leftists and close friends. In 2006, Saramago presented Monsivais with the Juan Rulfo Literature Award at the International Book Fair (FIL) in Guadalajara. They shared the stage at literary events on several other occasions and were hailed as much for their humility and frankness as their intellectual gifts.
FIL Director Raul Padilla called Saramago “an inspirational figure” who “deeply understood the transforming power of books.”
Arguably the sharpest observer of Mexico’s political, social and cultural life in the latter part of the 20th century, Monsivais became a cult figure in his homeland but was mostly unrecognized (and untranslated) abroad. With penetrating prose and humor, Monsivais deconstructed Mexico for Mexicans, often ridiculing the country’s farcical political system, but savoring its original and often quirky cultural heritage.
“He never made concessions. He was an independent journalist, a journalist who gave a voice to many people,” said author Guadalupe Loaeza, a close friend.
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