José Watanabe (1946 2007) was a
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 ...
vian poet who won a number of literary awards.
Watanabe was born in
Laredo, a large
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...
farm in northern Peru. His father was a Japanese immigrant, and his mother was a Peruvian of
Andean
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...
origin. In a very intimate way, Watanabe fused his two deep cultural backgrounds in brief but intense poetic work.
In 1970, Watanabe shared, with
Antonio Cillóniz, first prize in the "Young Poet" contest organized by "Cuadernos trimestrales de Poesía". This award has also been bestowed upon poets such as
Javier Heraud
Javier Heraud Pérez (1942–1963) was a Peruvian poet and member of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN). In his early life he studied at Markham College and later he continued his studies at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.
In Jan ...
and
César Calvo. He won the award ''Young Poet of Peru'' in 1971 with his first book, ''Album de Familia''.
After a silence of almost two decades, he resumed publishing in 1989 with ''El huso de la palabra''. After that came ''Historia Natural'' (1994), ''Cosas del Cuerpo'' (1999) and ''Habitó entre Nosotros'' (2002). In 2000, he published in
Colombia an anthology entitled ''El Guardián del Hielo'' and in 2004 he published in Spain ''Elogio del Refrenamiento'', a comprehensive anthology that won numerous accolades.
"He is one of the few living Peruvian authors that can be qualified as essential" wrote
Esperanza López Parada in
Babelia, the literary supplement of ''
El País''.
Watanabe was also involved in the film industry as a screenwriter, production designer and art director. He died in April 2007.
Books published
* ''El huso de la palabra'' (Lima, 1989).
* ''Cosas del cuerpo'' (Lima, 1999).
* ''Habitó entre nosotros'' (Lima, 2002).
* ''Lo que queda bien abierto'' (Monte Ávila, Caracas, 2005, anthology)
''Banderas detrás de la niebla''(Pre-Textos, Valencia, 2006-Peisa, Lima, 2006)
References
External links
1946 births
2007 deaths
Peruvian people of Japanese descent
20th-century Peruvian poets
Peruvian male poets
20th-century male writers
{{Peru-poet-stub