Alberto Jesús Laiseca (11 February 1941 – 22 December 2016) was an Argentine author of

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

supernatural fiction Supernatural fiction or supernaturalist fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that exploits or is centered on supernatural themes, often contradicting naturalist assumptions of the real world. Description In its broadest definition, supe ...

, suspense,

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

, and

fantastic literature The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, characte ...

. He also worked as a TV host and narrator for horror-related projects. Laiseca is considered as one of the most respected and noteworthy writers of his generation.

Biography

Laiseca was born in

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...

, however, shortly after his birth his family relocated first to

Unquillo Unquillo is a city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Córdoba Province (Argentina), Córdoba, Argentina. It has 18,483 inhabitants as per the . It is located about 28 km north-northwest from the center of the provincial capital, Córd ...

and later to Camilo Aldao, in the south of Cordoba Province where he lived as a young man until he moved to Santa Fe to pursue a college education. In 1964 he dropped out and went to work as a migrant agricultural worker during the harvests in Mendoza, and in other argentine provinces. Laiseca had a difficult relationship with his father a prominent medical doctor in Camilo Aldao. Laiseca was a chain-smoker. He is one of the most respected writers of his generation. He published 13 novels and numerous short stories, as well as several essays and non-fiction books. He also published a book of brief poems based on

Classical Chinese poetry Classical Chinese poetry is traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese and typified by certain traditional forms, or modes; traditional genres; and connections with particular historical periods, such as the poetry of the Tang dyn ...

, ''Poemas chinos'' ("Chinese Poetry", 1987). Most of his short stories have been collected in book collections. His monumental novel ''Los sorias'' (1998)which had remained unpublished for twenty years after its completionis currently considered, due to its extension, as the longest novel in

Argentine literature Argentine literature, i.e. the set of literary works produced by writers who originated from Argentina, is one of the most prolific, relevant and influential in the whole Spanish speaking world, with renowned writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Ju ...

. He achieved further popularity after appearing as the TV host for the anthology series "Cuentos de terror" (Horror Stories), for the Argentine

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...

channel

I.Sat I.Sat (contraction of the Spanish phrase ''Imagen Satelital'', which means "Satellite image") is an Argentine cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery International. It airs movies, series, music and shows. It is headquartered in ...

. The show consisted of Laiseca narrating -with his own style and words- classical or well-known horror short stories against an empty and dark backdrop, including some of Laiseca's own short stories, such as the famous ''La cabeza de mi padre'' ("The Head of My Father").The Head of My Father (Alberto Laiseca) by Alberto Laiseca
3 October 2009 –

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He later served in a similar capacity as host of the television program "Cine de terror" (Horror Cinema), for

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

cable television network with classic programming

Retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

Bibliography

* Las aventuras del profesor Eusebio Filigranati (2014) * Las cuatro torres de babel (2013) * Cuentos completos (2013) * Cuentos de terror (2013) * iluSorias (2013) * Si, soy mala poeta pero... (2013) * Gracias Chanchúbelo (2013) * Beber en rojo (2012) * El artista (2011) * En sueños he llorado (2001) * El gusano máximo de la vida misma (1999) * ' (1998) * El jardín de las máquinas parlantes (1993) * Por favor ¡plágienme! (1991) * La mujer en la muralla (1990) * La hija de Kheops (1986) * Poemas chinos (1987) * Aventuras de un novelista atonal (1982) * Matando enanos a garrotazos (1982) * Su turno para morir (1976)

References

External links

Official blog of Laiseca
*
Deliciosas perversiones polimorfas
a documentary by

Eduardo Montes-Bradley Eduardo Montes-Bradley is a documentary filmmaker. His most recent works are ''Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor'' and ''Black Fiddlers''. Life Montes-Bradley first appeared mentioned in Margareta Vinterheden's ''Man maste ju leva', Swe ...

.
Dossier on Alberto Laiseca (in Italian)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laiseca, Alberto 1941 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Argentine writers 20th-century male writers Argentine agnostics Argentine essayists Argentine male poets Argentine male short story writers Hyperreality theorists Argentine male essayists Postmodern writers Translators of Edgar Allan Poe Translators to Spanish People from Rosario, Santa Fe Philosophers of technology