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Alonso Cueto Caballero

アロンソ・クエート

Alonso Cueto

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1954-04-30 （Lima, Peru）
Nationality
Peruvian
Languages
Spanish
Residence History
France (childhood) → United States (childhood) → Peru (Lima)

Career

Occupations
Author, Journalist, University professor
Active Years
1983-
Affiliations
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Department of Literature
Memberships
Peruvian Academy of Language (member)
Influenced By
Mario Vargas Llosa, Juan Carlos Onetti

Education

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
Faculty of Letters / Department of Literature
Degree: 学士（文学）
Period: 1970年代（在学期間の概算）
Year of Graduation: 1976
Country: Peru
Bachelor's degree (year estimated)
University of Texas at Austin
Graduate School (Literature) / Comparative Literature / Literary Studies
Degree: Ph.D.（文学）
Period: 1979–1983（概算）
Year of Graduation: 1983
Country: United States
Completed Ph.D.; completed first short-story collection 'La batalla del pasado' during this period

Awards

Wiracocha Prize
1985
Work: El tigre blanco
Organization: Editorial Planeta Peru (and others)
Result: 受賞
Anna Seghers Prize
2000
Work: For his body of work
Organization: Anna Seghers Foundation (Germany)
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
2002
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: フェローシップ（2002–2003）
Herralde Prize
2005
Work: The Blue Hour (La hora azul)
Organization: Editorial Anagrama
Result: 受賞
Best Spanish-language novel (Editorial House of the Republic of China)
2005
Work: The Blue Hour
Organization: Editorial House of the Republic of China
Result: 受賞
Planeta-Casa de América Prize (Second place)
2007
Work: El susurro de la mujer ballena
Organization: Planeta / Casa de América
Result: 準入賞（2位）
Elected to the Peruvian Academy of Language
2009
Organization: Peruvian Academy of Language
Result: 選出
Tribute at the International Book Fair of Lima
2010
Organization: International Book Fair of Lima (FIL)
Result: 顕彰
Recognition for contribution to culture from the Ministry of Culture of Peru
2017
Organization: Ministry of Culture of Peru
Result: 表彰
Premio de Narrativa Alcobendas Juan Goytisolo
2019
Work: Palabras de otro lado
Organization: Premio de Narrativa Alcobendas
Result: 受賞
Premio ProArt
2024
Work: Francisca. Princesa del Perú
Organization: Premio ProArt (organization)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Blue Hour (La hora azul)

2005 Novel (political/historical, psychological)

A wealthy lawyer searches for the woman his military father had taken prisoner during Peru's internal conflict; the novel examines the effects of terror and violence on individuals and society.

ViolenceMemoryRedemptionAftermath of internal conflict
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Blue Hour (film) / Evelyne Pegot-Ogier (2014)
Translations
  • English translation: The Blue Hour, translated by Frank Wynne (2014)

El tigre blanco

1985 Novel

One of Cueto's early major novels, critically acclaimed.

Human relationshipsSocial critique

Grandes miradas

2003 Novel

A novel depicting human interiors and society from multiple perspectives; adapted into film.

Multiple perspectivesViolence and memory
Adaptations
  • [Film] Mariposa negra / Francisco Lombardi (2006)

La pasajera

2015 Novella / Short novel

A novella linked thematically to La hora azul; served as an inspiration for the film 'Magallanes'.

AtonementSearchConfrontation with the past
Adaptations
  • [Film (inspiration)] Magallanes / Salvador del Solar (2014)

The Wind Traveler (La viajera del viento)

2016 Novel

Part of a spiritual successor series following The Blue Hour; English translation has been published.

MemoryJourneyHealing
Translations
  • English translation: The Wind Traveler (University of Texas Press, 2020)

Bibliography

  • La batalla del pasado (short-story collection, 1983)
  • El tigre blanco (novel, 1985)
  • Los vestidos de una dama (short-story collection, 1987)
  • La hora azul (novel, 2005)
  • Grandes miradas (novel, 2003)
  • La pasajera (novella, 2015)
  • La viajera del viento (novel, 2016)
  • Palabras de otro lado (novel, 2019)
  • Francisca. Princesa del Perú (novel, 2023)

Adaptations

  • Mariposa negra (based on Grandes miradas, dir. Francisco Lombardi, 2006)
  • Magallanes (inspired by La pasajera, dir. Salvador del Solar, 2014)
  • The Blue Hour (film adaptation, dir. Evelyne Pegot-Ogier, 2014)

Translations of Works

  • English translation: The Blue Hour (translated by Frank Wynne, 2014)
  • English translation: The Wind Traveler (translated by Frank Wynne & Jessie Mendez Sayer, 2020)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realist tendenciesDetailed psychological characterizationIntegration of historical and political context
Recurring Motifs
Memory and forgettingGuilt and redemptionAftereffects of violence

Legacy

Alonso Cueto is a highly regarded Peruvian writer, an important voice in Latin American literature since the 1980s. Known for works exploring memories of internal conflict and personal responsibility, his books have been translated into multiple languages and adapted for film.

Academic Societies

  • Peruvian Academy of Language

Archives

  • Library of Congress (Hispanic Division audio literary archive, recorded March 15, 2015)

In Popular Culture

  • Several works adapted for film; frequently cited in Latin American cinema and literary studies

Quotes

  • "A magnificent novel that lucidly and imaginatively describes the aftermath of 10 years of civil war and terrorism."
    Source: Mario Vargas Llosa (review / comment) (2005)

Trivia

  • Spent early childhood in France and the United States before returning to Peru at age seven.
  • Married to Kristeen Keenan Atwook; has two sons.
  • The Blue Hour was translated into English by Frank Wynne and won the Valle-Inclán Prize for translation.
  • Has written weekly columns and served as a columnist for El Comercio.