Antonio González Caballero (; 1927–2003) was a Mexican

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. His best-known work is the

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

''Nilo, mi hijo'', on which the film ''

La casa del pelícano ''La casa del pelícano'' ("The House of the Pelican") is a 1978 Mexican thriller film. It was shot in 1976 and released in 1978. Main themes of this film are rape and difficult possessive relationship between mother and her son. Young Enrique Á ...

'' is based. He was born in

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí, officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí, is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 59 municipalities and is named after its capital city, San Luis Potosí. It ...

and died in the

historic center of Mexico City The historic center of Mexico City (), also known as the Centro or Centro Histórico, is the central neighborhood in Mexico City, Mexico, focused on the Zócalo (or main plaza) and extending in all directions for a number of blocks, with its fart ...

Works

* ''Señoritas a Disgusto'' (1960) * ''Una pura y dos con sal'' (1961) * ''El medio pelo'' (1962) * ''Nilo, mi hijo'' (1963) * ''Los jóvenes asoleados'' (1965) * ''Tres en Josafat'' (1965) * ''Las vírgenes prudentes'' (1967) * ''La ciudad de los carrizos'' (1967) * ''Asesino imperfecto'' (1967) * ''Una reverenda madre'' (1968) * ''El estupendhombre'' (1971) * ''Las devoradoras de un ardiente helado'' (1972) * ''El mago'' (1973) * ''Los amigos o La proliferación'' (1975) * ''Amorosos amorales'' (1980) * ''El retablo'' (1982) * ''Vicente y María'' (1984) * ''¿Quiere usted concursar?'' (1985) * ''El Plop o Cómo escapar de la niebla'' (1990) * ''La maraña'' (1990) * ''El pisapapel'' (1991) * ''Cuestión de opiniones en regla de tres acerca del yo'' (1991) * ''En ausencia de...'' (1992) * ''Las embarazadas'' (1992) * ''Amordidas'' (1993) * ''Los nudistas del buzón sentimental'' (1993) * ''El siniestro y escalofriante doctor Frederik Ludwing von Mamerto o Antes de ver a un psicólogo consulta con tu abogado o Y tú, ¿quién eres?'' (1993) * ''Delito en el escenario'' (1994) * ''La señora y sus amibas'' (1997) * ''Vete al diablo, vida mía'' (1999)

''Nilo, mi hijo''

''Nilo, mi hijo'' is the most famous work by Caballero. It was filmed under the title ''

'' ("The House of the

Pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

"). The main character Nilo was played by well known and beloved

Enrique Álvarez Félix Enrique Álvarez Félix (5 April 1935 – 24 May 1996) was a Mexican actor, known for his roles in telenovelas and in films, such as '' The Monastery of the Vultures'' and '' The House of the Pelican''. Family and personal life Enrique Álvarez ...

. Nilo's

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

d mother Margarita was Jacqueline Andere, and young

Daniela Romo Teresa Presmanes Corona (born 27 August 1959), known professionally as Daniela Romo, is a Mexican singer, actress and TV hostess. During her career, she has sold 15 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Biog ...

also appeared. The film was shocking for some commentators who noticed a connection between

castration Castration is any action, surgery, surgical, chemical substance, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical cas ...

of Nilo and Enrique's difficult relationship with his mother.''Celluloid Nationalism and Other Melodramas'' by Susan Dever, page 185. "For spectators who followed national news reports about the late Enrique Álvarez Felixʻs allegedly difficult relationship with (his) real-life mother

María Félix María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña (; 8 April 1914 – 8 April 2002) was a Mexican actress and singer. Along with Pedro Armendáriz and Dolores del Río, she was one of the most successful figures of Latin American cinema in the 1940s and ...

, it may be hard to ignore the irony of Alvarez Felixʻs character suffering castrating stabs." On the poster for the film an

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

is depicted. It is pierced by

scissors Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting var ...

. This is a symbolic representation of emasculation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez Caballero, Antonio Mexican male short story writers Mexican short story writers 1927 births 2003 deaths 20th-century Mexican sculptors