Esteban Pavletich Trujillo (13 May 1906 - 8 February 1981) was a
Croatian-Peruvian writer, journalist, and political activist.
Early life and education
Esteban Pavletich Trujillo was born in
Huánuco,
Peru on 13 May 1906 to parents Esteban Pavletich Stiglich and Josefa Melida Trujillo Vega, a Croatian immigrant and a Huánuco native, respectively.
In 1925, at age 18, Pavletich became the president of the
Federation of Students of the
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru ( es, link=no, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic Church, being the oldest private ...
, soon rising to the post of Minister of the Interior of the
National Federation of Students. He was deported to
Panama later that year for his activism.
Exile and political activism abroad
Following his deportation from Peru, Pavletich became involved in many student, labor, and political movements throughout
Central America. He became affiliated with the then-
Mexico-based
American Popular Revolutionary Alliance
The Peruvian Aprista Party ( es, Partido Aprista Peruano, PAP) () is a Peruvian political party and a member of the Socialist International. The party was founded as the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) by Víctor Raúl Haya de l ...
, and represented them at the headquarters of
Augusto César Sandino's guerilla army in
Mérida, Yucatán.
[Hodges, Donald C. ''Intellectual Foundations of the Nicaraguan Revolution''. University of Texas Press, 1986, pp. 94-95.]
Return to Peru and literary career
Following the
overthrow
Overthrow may refer to:
* Overthrow, a change in government, often achieved by force or through a coup d'état.
**The 5th October Overthrow, or Bulldozer Revolution, the events of 2000 that led to the downfall of Slobodan Milošević in the former ...
of the dictator
Augusto B. Leguía
Augusto Bernardino Leguía y Salcedo (February 19, 1863 – February 6, 1932) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru from 1908 to 1912 and from 1919 to 1930, the latter term known as ''El Oncenio de Leguía'' (Leguía's E ...
by
Luis Miguel Sánchez in 1930, Pavletich attempted to return to Peru, upon the advice of
Peruvian Communist Party
The Peruvian Communist Party ( es, Partido Comunista Peruano, abbr. PCP) is a communist party in Peru that was founded in 1928 by José Carlos Mariátegui, under the name Peruvian Socialist Party (, PSP). The party changed its name in 1930. In ...
leader
José Carlos Mariátegui
José Carlos Mariátegui La Chira (June 14, 1894 - April 16, 1930) was a Peruvian writer, journalist, politician and Marxist–Leninist philosopher.
A prolific author despite his early death, El Amauta (from Quechua: hamawt'a, "teacher", a nam ...
, but was deported by the Sánchez junta the following year, this time to
Ecuador. Pavletich was able to escape en route to Ecuador, but was quickly recaptured, imprisoned in
El Frontón
El Frontón is a deserted island and former penal colony off the coast of Callao, Peru.
Geography
Dry, deserted and without vegetation, it is located 7 km from the coast, to the west of La Punta District and to the southeast of San Lorenzo Islan ...
, and then deported once again to
Chile.
In 1933, following the transition from military junta to democratic government, Pavletich returned once more to Peru. There he became a journalist. The program of political liberalization led by
President Manuel Prado Ugarteche (first elected in 1939, with the support of the
APRA APRA or Apra may refer to:
Places
*Apra, Punjab, a census town city in Jalandhar District of Punjab, India
* Apra Harbor, the main port of Guam
Acronyms
* American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana), a Peruvi ...
) allowed political activists to operate in the country much more openly. This allowed Pavletich to become more of a public figure. He became the director of ''
El Peruano
''Diario Oficial El Peruano'' (''The Peruvian Official Newspaper'') is the official daily newspaper of Peru. The paper was founded on 22 October 1825 by Simón Bolívar although it changed names between the following decades and it was not publi ...
'', the official daily newspaper of
Peru, and his literary works garnered much public and critical acclaim.
Death
Pavletich died in
Lima on 8 February 1981, at the age of 74.
Awards and honors
Pavletich won the National Novel Award of Peru in 1959 for his novel ''No se suicidan los muertes'' (English: ''The dead do not commit suicide'').
In 1960, the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Minister of Culture,
André Malraux, named Pavletich a Knight of the
Order of Arts and Letters
The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...
.
Works
Poetry
* ''6 poemas de la revolución'' (1927)
* ''Revelación de Kotosh'' (1964)
Short stories
* ''Tres Relatos'' (1959)
* ''La Verruga'' (1962)
Novels
* ''Extraño caso de amor'' (1954)
* ''No se suicidan los muertos'' (1957)
Essays
* ''Autopsia de Huánuco'' (1937)
* ''Emiliano Zapata precursor del agrarismo americano'' (1959)
* ''Bolívar periodista'' (1960)
* ''Un tal Gabriel Aguilar'' (1967)
* ''La Picaresca y la Ascética en la conquista de América'' (1990)
Historical Biography
* ''Leoncio Prado'' (1939)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavletich Trujillo, Esteban
1906 births
1981 deaths