Xavier Villaurrutia Award
2 appearances
-
Edition 50 (1981) Winner
Sergio Pitol
セルヒオ・ピトル・デメネギ
Sergio Pitol Deméneghi
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1933-03-18 （Puebla, Mexico）
- Died
- 2018-04-12 （Xalapa, Mexico） age 85
- Nationality
- Mexico
- Languages
- Spanish
- Residence History
- Ingenio de Potrero, Veracruz → Córdoba, Veracruz → Mexico City → Xalapa, Veracruz (later life)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Translator, Diplomat, Professor
- Active Years
- 1959-2018
- Affiliations
- Mexican Foreign Service, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Universidad Veracruzana (professor), University of Bristol (visiting professor)
- Influenced By
- Fyodor Dostoevsky (possible influence), Henry James (influence), Vladimir Nabokov (influence via translation and reading), Witold Gombrowicz
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) | Law and Literature (studies) | — | — | 1950年代 | Mexico |
National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Law and Literature (studies)
Period:
1950年代
Country:
Mexico
Studied law and literature; exact graduation year not specified.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Xavier Villaurrutia Award | Nocturno de Bujara | — | Literary organization (Mexico) | 受賞 |
| 1984 | Premio Herralde de Novela | El desfile del amor (The Love Parade) | — | Anagrama (publisher) | 受賞 |
| 1993 | National Prize for Arts and Sciences (Mexico) | — | 言語学・文学 | Government of Mexico | 受賞 |
| 1999 | Premio Juan Rulfo (FIL Award) | — | — | Guadalajara International Book Fair (awarding body) | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Cervantes Prize (Miguel de Cervantes Prize) | — | — | Spanish government / Cervantes Prize committee | 受賞 |
Xavier Villaurrutia Award
1981
Work:
Nocturno de Bujara
Organization:
Literary organization (Mexico)
Result:
受賞
Premio Herralde de Novela
1984
Work:
El desfile del amor (The Love Parade)
Organization:
Anagrama (publisher)
Result:
受賞
National Prize for Arts and Sciences (Mexico)
1993
Category:
言語学・文学
Organization:
Government of Mexico
Result:
受賞
Premio Juan Rulfo (FIL Award)
1999
Organization:
Guadalajara International Book Fair (awarding body)
Result:
受賞
Cervantes Prize (Miguel de Cervantes Prize)
2005
Organization:
Spanish government / Cervantes Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
-
Edition 34 (1993) Winner
FIL Literary Award in Romance Languages
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (1999) Winner
Miguel de Cervantes Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (2005) Winner
Works
Major Works
El tañido de una flauta
1972 NovelAn early novel with experimental elements, featuring travel, memory and blended narrative voices.
travelmemorypolyphonic narration
Translations
El desfile del amor
1984 NovelA metafictional novel intertwining themes of love, fiction and social landscapes.
lovefictioncity and memory
Translations
- The Love Parade (translated by George Henson)
Domar a la divina garza
1988 NovelA work where narrator's memories and fantasies intersect, reflecting cultural references and the perspective of a translator.
memorytranslation and cultureidentity
Translations
- Taming the Divine Heron (translated by George Henson)
El arte de la fuga
1996 Essay-memoirA hybrid essay-memoir mixing travel writing, recollections and stylistic experiments; examines literature and travel.
travelliterary reflectionfragments of memory
Translations
- The Art of Flight (translated by George Henson)
Nocturno de Bujara
1981 Short story / Short-story collectionA collection centered on short stories that include fantastic and allegorical tales, showcasing Pitol's short-form craft.
fantasyallegoryexotic landscapes
Vals de Mefisto
1984 Short story collectionA diverse collection of short stories featuring musical metaphors and Faustian themes.
musical motifsFaustian themeshuman desire
Translations
- Mephisto's Waltz (translated by George Henson)
Bibliography
- Tiempo cercado (1959)
- Los climas (1966)
- Nocturno de Bujara (1981)
- El desfile del amor (1984)
- El arte de la fuga (1996)
Translations by Author
- Translations of works by Jane Austen
- Translations of works by Vladimir Nabokov
- Translations of works by Joseph Conrad
- Translations of works by Anton Chekhov
- Translations of works by Witold Gombrowicz
Translations of Works
- El desfile del amor → The Love Parade (English translation)
- Domar a la divina garza → Taming the Divine Heron (English translation)
- El arte de la fuga → The Art of Flight (English translation)
- El viaje → The Journey (English translation)
- El mago de Viena → The Magician of Vienna (English translation)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Polyphonic narrationMetafictional techniquesEssayistic and fragmentary proseRich cultural references
- Recurring Motifs
- travel and movementmemory and recollectionreferences to translation and literaturelabyrinthine structuresmusical metaphors
Health
-
Progressive aphasia晩年（特に2000年代後半から2010年代）Restricted his ability to write and speak, limiting his activities.
Legacy
Sergio Pitol is regarded as one of Mexico's leading writers and translators, praised for a distinctive style that layers travel, memory and the translator's viewpoint. He received the Cervantes Prize in 2005, cementing his international recognition in Spanish-language literature.
Academic Societies
- Academia Mexicana de la Lengua (associated)
Archives
- Sergio Pitol Papers (Princeton University, C1283)
- Universidad Veracruzana (papers / research collections)
In Popular Culture
- Widely covered in Spanish-language media following the Cervantes Prize award.
Trivia
- His mother died when he was four years old.
- Contracted malaria in childhood and was bedridden until about age 12.
- Joined the Mexican Foreign Service in 1960 and served as cultural attaché in many cities.
- Lived in Xalapa from 1993 and taught at Universidad Veracruzana.
- Suffered from progressive aphasia in later years.