Andrés Iduarte

Andrés Iduarte Foucher (May 1, 1907 – April 16, 1984) was a distinguished Mexican essayist and member of the Mexican Academy of Language.

Biography

Andrés Iduarte Foucher was born on May 1, 1907, in Villahermosa, Tabasco, then known as San Juan Bautista. As a result of the arrival of the Mexican Revolution conflict to Tabasco in 1914, his family moved temporarily to the cities of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, and Mérida, before turning back to San Juan Bautista once order was reestablished in the city; this experience would be later put down by Iduarte into an autobiographical book entitled ''Niño, child of the Mexican Revolution'' (''Un niño en la Revolución Mexicana'').Quirarte, Vicente
"Un niño llamado Andrés Iduarte"
''La Jornada Semanal'' 647, Mexico, D.F.: July 29, 2007.Iduarte, Andrés. ''Un niño en la Revolución Mexicana'', Obregón, Second Edition, Mexico, D.F.: 1954 In 1919, his family moved to Mexico City as a consequence of his sister Eloísa's health problems, who got Spanish flu. In Mexico City he continued his studies at Dr. Hugo Topf College and at the Mexican College (''Colegio Mexicano'');Vázquez Almanza, Paola
"Un ciudadano de la República de las Letras"
, ''Coordinación Nacional de Literatura'', Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, accessed on 2007-8-12. by 1922 he enrolled in high school at the National Preparatory School (''Escuela Nacional Preparatoria'') where he studied till 1925. In 1926 he enrolled in Law School at the National University.Cobián, Naranjo (2007)
"Se cumple 23 años del fallecimiento de Andrés Iduarte"
, ''TabascoHoy'', May 17, 2007, accessed on 2007-8-12. Being influenced by José Vasconcelos' ideas, he promoted the autonomy of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Between 1928 and 1930, Andrés Iduarte travelled to Paris and he joined the Latinamerican Student Association (''Asociación de Estudiantes Latinoamericanos'', AGELA) where he met other Latin American personalities such as Carlos Quijano, Miguel Ángel Asturias, César Vallejo, Gustavo Machado, Eduardo Machado, Manuel Ugarte and Gabriela Mistral. In 1930, just barely 23 years old, he became History Professor at the National Preparatory School and he codirected the ''National University Magazine'' (''Revista de la Universidad Nacional'')Sánchez de Armas, Miguel Ángel
"Andrés Iduarte: una voz necesaria
''La Jornada Semanal'' 647, Mexico, D.F.: July 29, 2007. He continued his studies at the Central University of Madrid, Spain, and became Secretary of the Hispano-American University Federation, a member of the Scholar University Federation, and Secretary of the Iberoamerican Division of the Athenaeus of Madrid. He lived there for six years; there he supported the republican cause before the Spanish Civil War, in which he actively participated in the trenches.

From 1939, Andrés Iduarte became Hispano-American Literature Professor at Columbia University, where he got his doctoral degree,Romero, Laura
"Donan al CESU archivo del escritor Andrés Iduarte"
, ''Gaceta UNAM'', 3627, Mexico, D.F.: April 21, 2003, p. 16. remaining there till 1952.

In 1952 he was designated General Director of the National Institute of Fine Arts (''Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes'', INBA) in Mexico; there he had among his fellow associates important artists such as Andrés Henestrosa, Celestino Gorostiza, José Durón and Pedro Ramírez Vázquez