Vicente Leñero Otero (June 9, 1933 – December 3, 2014) was a Mexican novelist, journalist, and playwright. He wrote numerous books, stories, and plays, including a theatrical adaptation of

Oscar Lewis Oscar Lewis, born Lefkowitz (December 25, 1914 – December 16, 1970) was an American anthropologist. He is best known for his vivid depictions of the lives of slum dwellers and his argument that a cross-generational culture of poverty transcen ...

's '' The Children of Sanchez.'' He was awarded the Premio Xavier Villaurrutia in 2001, and the following year he received the Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes de México ( National Prize of Arts and Sciences) for literature and linguistics.

Works

Leñero was born in

Guadalajara, Jalisco Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...

. Graduating from the

National Autonomous University of Mexico 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) in 1959 with a degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

, Leñero soon turned to writing to support himself. His first novel, ''La voz adolorida'' (1961), exhibits the psychological realism of his early writings, consisting of a mentally ill patient's monologue about his life before entering an asylum. ''Los albañiles'' followed in 1963, winning the

Premio Biblioteca Breve The Premio Biblioteca Breve is a literary award given annually by the publisher Seix Barral (now part of Grupo Planeta) to an unpublished novel in the Spanish language. Its prize is €30,000 and publication of the winning work. It is delivered in ...

, a prestigious literature award. Praised for its complex structure and symbolism, the work tells the story of a watchman at a construction site. Soon after, Leñero turned to playwriting, adapting ''Los albañiles'' to drama format in 1970, as well as ''La carpa'' (1971) and an adaptation of ''Los hijos de Sánchez'' ('' The Children of Sanchez,'' 1972). He was influential in starting the documentary genre of theater in Mexico, and two of his notable works are ''Pueblo rechazado'' and ''El juicio''. In the 1980s, Leñero released several successful nonfiction books, ''La gota de agua'', and ''Asesinato: el doble crimen de los Flores Muñoz''. His work also extends to other genres. Leñero worked as a screenwriter for ''

El callejón de los milagros ''Midaq Alley'' ( es, El callejón de los milagros, also released as ''The Alley of Miracles'') is a 1995 Mexican film adapted from the novel by Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz, written by Vicente Leñero and directed by Jorge Fons. The film dea ...

'', film for which he received an

Ariel Award The Ariel Award ( es, Premio Ariel) is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excel ...

in 1995 by the

Mexican Academy of Film Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous peopl ...

and ''

El crimen del Padre Amaro ''The Crime of Padre Amaro'' ( es, El crimen del padre Amaro, known by its literal translation ''The Crime of Father Amaro'' in Australia) is a 2002 Mexican-Spanish film directed by Carlos Carrera. It is very loosely based on the novel ''O Crim ...

'' (2002, The Crime of Padre Amaro), one of Mexico's highest-grossing movies. He also has worked as a journalist for publications such as ''Claudia'', ''

Excélsior ''Excélsior'' is a daily newspaper in Mexico City. It is the second oldest paper in the city after '' El Universal'', printing its first issue on March 18, 1917. History ''Excélsior'' was founded by Rafael Alducin and first published in Mexic ...

'' and '' Proceso''. He also adapted the story from ''

Fuera del cielo ''Fuera del cielo'' ("Outside the Sky") is a Mexican film that debuted in theaters on January 12, 2007. It was distributed in the United States by Lionsgate Films. The movie was produced by Argos Comunicación, Fidecine, Videocine and Cinemex Pr ...

'' for its film version that was released in 2007. Leñero died of lung cancer in Mexico City on December 3, 2014, aged 81.

Selected filmography

* '' Miroslava'' (1993)

References

External links

Interview with La RevistaBiography on El Poder de la Palabra
Accessed September 27, 2005 1933 births 2014 deaths National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Best Adapted Screenplay Ariel Award winners Mexican screenwriters Mexican journalists Male journalists Writers from Guadalajara, Jalisco {{Mexico-journalist-stub

Works

Selected filmography

Further reading

References

External links