Felisberto Hernandez (October 20, 1902 – January 13, 1964) was an

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an writer, composer, and pianist.

Background

Hernández was born the eldest of four children in the Atahualpa neighborhood of Montevideo,

. His father, Prudencio Hernández, was from

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, Canary Islands; his mother, Juana Silva, was born in

Rocha, Uruguay Rocha () is the capital city of the Rocha Department in Uruguay. Location and geography The city is located on the intersection of Route 9 with Route 15, about northeast of San Carlos of Maldonado Department. The stream Arroyo Rocha flows al ...

. At the age of nine, Hernández began to study

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

. Later, Hernández was taught composition and harmony by Clemente Colling. Due to economic hardship, Hernández began to teach piano himself and accompany

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

s at the age of 16. By the age of 20, Hernández began to perform in public recitals, including works of his own creation on his programs. Hernández, at the age of 23, became a pupil of Guillermo Kolischer. He died of complications related from leukemia. A selection of his papers is stored in the archives of American University in Washington, D.C.

Short stories

Hernández is considered to be the forefather of magic realism, predating writers such as

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...

Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the '' Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the ''Cosmicomi ...

and Julio Cortázar, who all note Hernández as a major influence. This fact can be seen in a letter by Cortázar to Hernández entitled "Letter In One's Own Hand" in which the younger Cortázar praises Hernández for the trail he blazed. Hernández's fiction often explores the secret vitality contained in inanimate objects. Some of his most famous stories are: "The Balcony," "My First Concert," and "Daisy Dolls."

Works published during Hernández's lifetime

*''Fulano de tal'' (1925) * ''Libro sin tapas'' (1928) * ''La cara de Ana'' (1930) * ''La envenenada'' (1931) * ''Por los tiempos de Clemente Colling'' (1942) * ''El caballo perdido'' (1943) *''Nadie encendía las lámparas'' (1947) *''Las Hortensias'' (1949) *''La casa inundada'' (1960)

Selected works translated into English

* "The Daisy Dolls", in ''Masterworks of Latin American Short Fiction: Eight Novellas'', Icon Editions, 1996. * ''Piano Stories'', translated by Luis Harss, Marsilio Publishers, 1993. Reissued by New Directions, 2014. * "Crocodile", in ''Two Crocodiles'', translated by Esther Allen, New Directions, 2013. * ''Lands of Memory'', translated by Esther Allen, New Directions Press, 2002.

Adaptations

Hernández' life and work was the subject of the short film ''Unmistaken Hands: Ex Voto F.H'' by the animation filmmakers the Quay Brothers. The short was inspired in particular by the Hernández short stories "The Balcony" and "The Flooded House" and is available to view as part of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

'
Blu-ray collection of the Quays films

References

External links

Felisberto Hernandez
at Britannica.com
"The White Dress,"
a short story by Hernández translated by Peter Robertson at Turnrow literary journal 1902 births 1964 deaths Uruguayan male short story writers Uruguayan short story writers Uruguayan people of Canarian descent {{Uruguay-writer-stub