Carlos Monsiváis Aceves (May 4, 1938 – June 19, 2010) was a Mexican philosopher, writer, critic,

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

, and journalist. He also wrote political opinion columns in leading newspapers within the country's progressive sectors. His generation of writers includes

Elena Poniatowska Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor (born May 19, 1932), known professionally as Elena Poniatowska () is a French-born Mexican journalist and author, specializing in works on social and political issues focused on th ...

José Emilio Pacheco José Emilio Pacheco Berny (June 30, 1939 – January 26, 2014) was a Mexican poet, essayist, novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the major Mexican poets of the second half of the 20th century. The Berlin International Lit ...

, and

Carlos Fuentes Carlos Fuentes Macías (; ; November 11, 1928 – May 15, 2012) was a Mexican novelist and essayist. Among his works are ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (1962), ''Aura'' (1962), '' Terra Nostra'' (1975), ''The Old Gringo'' (1985) and ''Christopher ...

. Monsiváis won more than 33 awards, including the 1986 Jorge Cuesta Prize (named after a fellow writer about whom he wrote a book), the 1989 Mazatlán Prize, and the 1996 Xavier Villaurrutia Award. Considered a leading intellectual of his time, Monsiváis documented contemporary Mexican themes, values, class struggles, and societal change in his essays, books and opinion pieces. He was a staunch critic of the long-ruling

Partido Revolucionario Institucional The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the Nati ...

(PRI), leaned towards the

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

, and was ubiquitous in disseminating his views on radio and television. As a founding member of "Gatos Olvidados", Monsiváis wanted his and other "forgotten cats" to be provided for beyond his lifetime.

Early life and education

Carlos Monsiváis Aceves was born in Mexico City on May 4, 1938. He studied economics and philosophy at the

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

(UNAM). As a student, Monsiváis was involved with protests that reestablished Mexican democracy. From 1956 to 1958, he worked at Medio Siglo ("Half Century") magazine and "Estaciones" ("Seasons") from 1957 to 1959. From 1956 to 1958, he worked as an editor at ''Medio Siglo'', and at ''Estaciones'' from 1957 to 1959. His writings, some of which are written with an ironic undertone, show a deep understanding of the origin and development of Mexican popular culture. As a

movie critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...

during this time period, he is considered one of the

Golden Age of Mexican cinema The Golden Age of Mexican cinema ( es, Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano) is a period in the history of the Cinema of Mexico between 1930 and 1969 when the Mexican film industry reached high levels of production, quality and economic success of its ...

's premiere observers. Monsiváis enjoyed reviewing many different media, to include movies, art and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

Literary career

From 1962 to 1963 and 1967 to 1968, Monsiváis was a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

at the "Centro Mexicano de Escritores" ("Mexican Writers's Center"). In 1965, he attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

's Center for International Studies. In 1969, Monsiváis published his first two essays: "Principados y potestades" (lit. "Princedoms and powers") and "Características de la cultura nacional" (lit. "Characteristics of the national culture"). They were characterized as being filled with a universal curiosity and the ability to distill the core essence of Mexican political and cultural life. In 1971, he penned a

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

called ''Días de guardar'', which was compiled into a book with his first essays. In 1976, Monsiváis composed ''Amor perdido'', which detailed mythical film characters based upon popular song, left-wing politics, and the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...

. During the 1980s, Monsiváis prolifically wrote the bulk of many works that shaped and destined his career. Those works include 1984's ''De qué se ríe el licenciado'', ''Entrada libre, crónicas de la sociedad que se organiza'' in 1987, and 1988's ''Escenas de pudor y liviandad''. In 1982, he also wrote a book called ''Nuevo catecismo para indios remisos'', which narrated an understanding or

cathecism A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...

about Mexico's

indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

. ''Días de guarda'' and ''Escenas de pudor y liviandad'' are considered his epic works. In narrative form, Monsiváis recounted the

1985 Mexico City earthquake The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximal Mercalli intensity of IX (''Violent''). The event caused serious damage to the Greater Mexico City area ...

that killed thousands. He wrote "Historias para temblar: 19 de septiembre de 1985" ("Stories to tremble: September 19, 1985") which documented the earthquake. In 1992, Monsiváis created a biography on

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

entitled ''Frida Kahlo: Una vida, una obra''. In addition to these books, Monsiváis wrote several

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

including ''La poesía mexicana del siglo X'' in 1966, ''Los narradores ante el público'' in 1969, and in 1986 an autobiography about

Jorge Cuesta Jorge Mateo Cuesta Porte-Petit (b. Córdoba, Veracruz, September 23, 1903 – d. Tlalpan, August 13, 1942) was a Mexican chemist, writer and editor. Biography Cuesta attended school in his hometown, before he did his studies at the Faculty o ...

. Monsiváis remained creative into his latter years and in 2002 wrote an essay called ''Yo te bendigo, vida'', about

Amado Nervo Amado Nervo (August 27, 1870 – May 24, 1919) also known as Juan Crisóstomo Ruiz de Nervo, was a Mexican poet, journalist and educator. He also acted as Mexican Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay. His poetry was known for its use of metaphor a ...

Political involvement

He was known as an activist for leftist causes. In 1968, the

Tlatelolco massacre On October 2, 1968 in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City, the Mexican Armed Forces opened fire on a group of unarmed civilians in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas who were protesting the upcoming 1968 Summer Olympics. The Mexican government and ...

left a distinct mark on Monsiváis. His critics maintained that Monsiváis' life was filled with

social movement A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and ma ...

s interweaved with real life politics and entertainment figures as he wrote about that "1968 army massacre" whose death toll varied from 25 to 350 depending on the sources. Monsiváis became an early defender of the

Zapatista Army of National Liberation The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (, EZLN), often referred to as the Zapatistas (Mexican ), is a far-left political and militant group that controls a substantial amount of territory in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico. Since ...

. In 1994, he supported the Zapatistas's Chiapas revolt on behalf of Mexico's indigenous peoples. Monsiváis along with Portuguese writer Jose Saramago visited rebel camps in

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil and Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities ...

. In 1975, he collaborated with gay rights activist and writer Nancy Cárdenas on the Manifesto in Defense of Homosexuals in Mexico, published in ''Siempre!'' magazine. He had also directed the drama ''The Boys in the Band'' at

Teatro de los Insurgentes Teatro de los Insurgentes ( en, Theater of the Insurgents) is a theater located on Mexico City's Avenida de los Insurgentes. It was built by José María Dávila in 1953 as part of President Miguel Alemán's program of urban renewal. Dávila c ...

in 1974, the first openly gay drama to stage on at a major theatre. In 2002, he spoke critically against

Subcomandante Marcos Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente (born 19 June 1957) is a Mexican insurgent, the former military leader and spokesman for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in the ongoing Chiapas conflict,Pasztor, S. B. (2004). Marcos, Subcoman ...

's letter which supported a

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

terrorist group and criticized

Baltasar Garzón Baltasar Garzón Real (; born 26 October 1955) is a former Spanish judge. Garzón formerly served on Spain's central criminal court, the ''Audiencia Nacional'', and was the examining magistrate of the ''Juzgado Central de Instrucción No. 5'', ...

. In 2006, Monsiváis signed a petition in support of the independence of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

from the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

Later life and death

Monsiváis had struggled for years with

pulmonary fibrosis Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failu ...

and could be seen in his latter years with an

oxygen tank An oxygen tank is an oxygen storage vessel, which is either held under pressure in gas cylinders, or as liquid oxygen in a cryogenic storage tank. Uses Oxygen tanks are used to store gas for: * medical breathing at medical facilities and at home ...

. His weariness led to several hospital stays. In 2007, Monsiváis opened the Museo del Estanquillo with an exhibition of Gabriel Vargas' ''La Familia Burrón'' paintings with the artist in person. Vargas sat

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...

because of an affiction he had suffered for the past twenty years. In funding the museum, he paid

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

to Vargas, ''La Familia Burrón'' and Eduardo del Río. The Estanquillo Museum also exhibits many of his varied works. It holds approximately 12,000 items that Monsiváis accumulated over 30 years. In 2008, Monsiváis' love for his 20 cats led him to

bequest A bequest is property given by will. Historically, the term ''bequest'' was used for personal property given by will and ''deviser'' for real property. Today, the two words are used interchangeably. The word ''bequeath'' is a verb form for the act ...

funds for an

animal shelter An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would ...

known as "Gatos Olvidados" ( en, Forgotten Cats). For eight years, he had been attached deeply to "Miss Oginia", (a play on the word ''misoginia'', misogyny) a cat he had saved from being euthanasized and a kitten he had adopted. Monsiváis approached the

Distrito Federal de México Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of Me ...

about a plot of land for 50 homeless cats because a young girl, Claudia Vázquez Lozano, sent him an email requesting his support. As a founding member of "Gatos Olvidados", Monsiváis wanted his and other forgotten cats to be provided for beyond his lifetime. As recently as March 2010, Monsiváis presented his last collection of chronicles named ''Apocalipstick''. On June 19, 2010, Monsiváis was declared dead after respiratory problems by the staff of the

Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Health Sciences and Nutrition The National Institute of Health Sciences and Nutrition “Salvador Zubirán” (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán) is one of the twelve national institutes part of the Mexican Secretariat of Health. ...

. He had entered the hospital on April 2, 2010, and had declined in health. He was buried with a

gay pride flag ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

on his

coffin A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation. Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for j ...

Tributes

EZLN The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (, EZLN), often referred to as the Zapatistas (Mexican ), is a far-left political and militant group that controls a substantial amount of territory in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico. Sinc ...

spokesman

regarded Monsiváis as an influence. While some of his critics did not appreciate his

omnipresence Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present anywhere and everywhere. The term omnipresence is most often used in a religious context as an attribute of a deity or supreme being, while the term ubiquity is generally used to descri ...

in all forms of the media, in a country with "low reading levels" this made him more well known amongst the people. Pacheco, a

Cervantes Prize The Miguel de Cervantes Prize ( es, Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes) is awarded annually to honour the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language. History The prize was established in 1975 ...

winner, once commented that Monsiváis was the "only writer people knew on the street." Poniatowska, who knew him since 1957, said, "I think he is one of the great minds of Mexico, and an intellectual of the left."

, who was in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

at the time of Monsiváis' death said, "great writer who renewed the essay genre in Mexico." Mexican President

Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 ...

lamented his death with "profound sorrow". Of his own

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

that he wrote at age 28, Monsiváis once said "acepté esta suerte de autobiografía con el mezquino fin de hacerme ver como una mezcla de Albert Camus y Ringo" ("I accepted this sort of autobiography with the petty purpose of making myself look like a mix of

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

and

Ringo Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

").

Personal life

In his book ''El clóset de cristal he Glass Closet', Mexican author Braulio Peralta argues that Monsivaís was, along with Nancy Cárdenas and others, the founder of Mexico's LGBT movement, having supported Mexico's sexual minorities since the 1960s. Monsiváis chose to be buried with a gay pride flag on his coffin, indicating that he was a gay man. Monsiváis never married and had no children. According to Poniatowska, he is survived by several nephews. Monsiváis owned a small two-story house in Mexico City’s Colonia Portales."Concluye homenaje a Carlos Monsiváis en el Teatro de la Ciudad de México"
(in Spanish). ''

Milenio ''Milenio'' is a major national newspaper in Mexico, owned by Grupo Multimedios. It is published in 11 cities across Mexico, including Monterrey, Mexico City, Guadalajara, León, Pachuca, Puebla, Villahermosa, Tampico, Torreón, Toluca, ...

''. June 26, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010. In lieu of children, he owned several small cats and gave interviews with them in his lap. In his spare time, Monsiváis enjoyed reading and

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...

Bibliography

Chronicles

* ''Días de guardar'' (1971) * ''Amor perdido'' (1976) * ''De qué se ríe el licenciado (una crónica de los 40)'' (1984) * ''Entrada libre. Crónicas de la sociedad que se organiza'' (1987) * ''Escenas de pudor y liviandad'' (1988) * ''Luneta y galería (Atmósferas de la capital 1920-1959)'' (1994) * ''Los rituales del caos'' (1995) * ''«No sin nosotros». Los días del terremoto 1985-2005'' (2005)

Essays

* ''Características de la cultura nacional'' (1969) * ''Principados y potestades'' (1969) * «Notas sobre la cultura mexicana en el siglo XX» en ''Historia General de México'' (1976) * ''El Crimen en el cine'' (1977) * ''Cultura urbana y creación intelectual. El caso mexicano'' (1981) * ''Cuando los banqueros se van'' (1982) * ''Confrontaciones'' (1985) * ''El poder de la imagen y la imagen del poder. Fotografías de prensa del porfiriato a la época actual'' (1985) * ''Historias para temblar: 19 de septiembre de 1985'' (1988) * ''El género epistolar. Un homenaje a manera de carta abierta'' (1991) * ''Sin límite de tiempo con límite de espacio: arte, ciudad, gente, colección de Carlos Monsiváis'' (1993) * ''Rostros del cine mexicano'' (1993) * ''Por mi madre, bohemios I'' (1993) * ''El teatro de los Insurgentes: 1953-1993'' (1993) * ''Los mil y un velorios. Crónica de la nota roja'' (1994) * ''Cultura popular mexicana'' (1995) * ''Aire de familia. Colección de Carlos Monsiváis'' (1995) * ''El bolero'' (1995) * ''Recetario del cine mexicano'' (1996) * ''Diez segundos del cine nacional'' (1996) * ''Del rancho al internet'' (1999) * ''Aires de familia. Cultura y sociedad en América Latina'' (2000) * ''Las herencias ocultas del pensamiento liberal del siglo XIX'' (2000) * ''Las tradiciones de la imagen: notas sobre poesía mexicana'' (2001) * ''Protestantismo, diversidad y tolerancia'' (2002) * ''Bolero: clave del corazón'' (2004) * ''Las herencias ocultas de la Reforma Liberal del Siglo XIX'' (2006) * ''Imágenes de la tradición viva'' (2006) * ''Las alusiones perdidas'' (2007) * ''El estado laico y sus malquerientes'' (2008) * ''El 68, La tradición de la resistencia'' (2008)

Biography

* ''Carlos Monsiváis (Autobiografía)'' (1966) * ''Celia Montalván (te brindas voluptuosa e impudente)'' (1982) * ''María Izquierdo'' (1986) * ''Luis García Guerrero'' (1987) * ''José Chávez Morado'' (1989) * ''Escenas mexicanas en la obra de Teresa Nava'' (1997) * ''Salvador Novo. Lo marginal en el centro'' (2000) * ''Adonde yo soy tú somos nosotros. Octavio Paz: crónica de vida y obra'' (2000) * ''Novoamor'' (2001) * ''Yo te bendigo, vida. Amado Nervo: crónica de vida y obra'' (2002) * ''Leopoldo Méndez 1902-2002'' (2002) * ''Carlos Pellicer: iconografía'' (2003) * ''Annita Brenner: visión de una época'' (2006) * ''Frida Kahlo'' (2007) * ''Rosa Covarrubias: una americana que amó México'' (2007) * ''Pedro Infante: las leyes del querer'' (2008)

Narrative

* ''Nuevo catecismo para indios remisos'' (1982)

Other books in collaboration

* ''Historia General de México'' (1972)/ Colegio de México * ''Frida Kahlo. Una vida, una obra'' (1992) / Rafael Vázquez Bayod * ''A través del espejo: el cine mexicano y su público'' (1994) / Carlos Bonfil * ''Parte de guerra. Tlatelolco 1968. Documentos del general Marcelino García Barragán. Los hechos y la historia'' (1999) / Julio Scherer * ''Parte de Guerra II. Los rostros del 68'' (2002) / Julio Scherer * ''Tiempo de saber'' (2003) / Julio Scherer * ''El centro histórico de la Ciudad de México'' (2006) / Francis Alÿs * ''El viajero lúgubre: Julio Ruelas modernista, 1870-1907'' (2007) / Antonio Saborit y Teresa del Conde * ''El hombre de negro'' (2007) / Helioflores

Anthologies

* ''La poesía mexicana del Siglo XX'' (1966) * ''Poesía mexicana II, 1915-1979'' (1979) * ''A Ustedes Les Consta. Antología de la Crónica en México'' (1980) * ''Lo fugitivo permanece. 21 cuentos mexicanos'' (1984) * ''La poesía mexicana II, 1915-1985'' (1985)

Works in Translation

* ''Mexican postcards'' (1997) / Trans. John Kraniauskas. * ''A new catechism for recalcitrant indians'' (2007) / Trans. Jeffrey Browitt and Nidia Esperanza Castrillón. * ''Obřady chaosu'' (2007) / Trans. Markéta Riebová.

Awards

In 1977, Monsiváis won "Premio Nacional de Periodismo" Award ("National Journalism Prize") which recognized his

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

of chronicles. Monsiváis was honoured with a

Prince Claus Award The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually ...

in 1998 from the

Prince Claus Fund The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually si ...

, an international culture and development organization based in Amsterdam. In 2000, Monsiváis was awarded the "Premio Anagrama de Ensayo" ("Anagram of Essay Prize"). At the "Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara" (" International Book Fair of Guadalajara") in 2006, he received the "FIL de Guadalajara Prize") along with its $100,000

prize money Prize money refers in particular to naval prize money, usually arising in naval warfare, but also in other circumstances. It was a monetary reward paid in accordance with the prize law of a belligerent state to the crew of a ship belonging to ...

and has been awarded

honorary doctorates An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from universities in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana The Metropolitan Autonomous University ( Spanish: ''Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana'') also known as UAM, is a Mexican public university. Founded in 1974 with the support of then-President Luis Echeverria Alvarez, the institution aims to be c ...

and the

Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa , mottoeng = , established = 5 May 1873 , type = Public university , rector = Juan Eulogio Guerra Liera , faculty = , staff = , students = , undergrad = , ...

. Monsiváis has won more than 33 awards with his last coming from the

Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí The Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí (in es, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, UASLP) is a public university in Mexico. It is the largest, oldest, and most comprehensive university in the state of San Luis Potosí, as well as ...

. Along with

Miguel León-Portilla Miguel León-Portilla (22 February 1926 – 1 October 2019) was a Mexican anthropologist and historian, specializing in Aztec culture and literature of the pre-Columbian and colonial eras. Many of his works were translated to English and he was ...

Friedrich Katz Friedrich Katz (13 June 1927 – 16 October 2010) was an Austrian-born anthropologist and historian who specialized in 19th and 20th century history of Latin America, particularly, in the Mexican Revolution. "He was arguably Mexico's most widel ...

, Fuentes and Pacheco, Monsiváis was a past recipient of The Medalla 1808 from the government of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

References

External links

Interview with Carlos Monsivais

Barcelona Metropolis Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Summer 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Monsivais, Carlos 1938 births 2010 deaths Mexican journalists Male journalists National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Writers from Mexico City Mexican columnists Deaths from respiratory failure LGBT writers from Mexico Gay writers 21st-century LGBT people