Andrés Iduarte Foucher (May 1, 1907 – April 16, 1984) was a distinguished Mexican
essay
An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
Andrés Iduarte Foucher was born on May 1, 1907, in
Villahermosa
Villahermosa ( , ; "Beautiful Town") is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Tabasco, and serves as the municipal seat (governing county) of the state. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an important city because of its ...
,
Tabasco
Tabasco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tabasco, 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa.
It i ...
, then known as San Juan Bautista. As a result of the arrival of the
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
conflict to Tabasco in 1914, his family moved temporarily to the cities of
Ciudad del Carmen
Ciudad del Carmen or Carmen is a city in the southwest of the Mexican state of Campeche. Ciudad del Carmen is located at on the southwest of Carmen Island, which stands in the Laguna de Términos on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. , Ciudad d ...
,
Campeche
Campeche, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche, is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, make up the Administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the sta ...
, and Mérida, before turning back to San Juan Bautista once order was reestablished in the city; this experience would be later put down by Iduarte into an autobiographical book entitled ''Niño, child of the Mexican Revolution'' (''Un niño en la Revolución Mexicana'').Quirarte, Vicente "Un niño llamado Andrés Iduarte" ''La Jornada Semanal'' 647, Mexico, D.F.: July 29, 2007.Iduarte, Andrés. ''Un niño en la Revolución Mexicana'', Obregón, Second Edition, Mexico, D.F.: 1954 In 1919, his family moved to
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
as a consequence of his sister Eloísa's health problems, who got
Spanish flu
The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...
. In Mexico City he continued his studies at Dr. Hugo Topf College and at the Mexican College (''Colegio Mexicano'');Vázquez Almanza, Paola "Un ciudadano de la República de las Letras" , ''Coordinación Nacional de Literatura'', Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, accessed on 2007-8-12. by 1922 he enrolled in high school at the
National Preparatory School
The Escuela Nacional Preparatoria () (ENP), the oldest senior High School system in Mexico, belonging to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), opened its doors on February 1, 1868. It was founded by Gabino Barreda, M.D., following ...
(''Escuela Nacional Preparatoria'') where he studied till 1925. In 1926 he enrolled in Law School at the
National University
A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...
José Vasconcelos
José Vasconcelos Calderón (28 February 1882 – 30 June 1959), called the "cultural " of the Mexican Revolution, was an important Mexicans, Mexican writer, philosopher, and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial pers ...
' ideas, he promoted the autonomy of the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...
.
Between 1928 and 1930, Andrés Iduarte travelled to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and he joined the Latinamerican Student Association (''Asociación de Estudiantes Latinoamericanos'', AGELA) where he met other Latin American personalities such as Carlos Quijano,
Miguel Ángel Asturias
Miguel Ángel Asturias Rosales (; 19 October 1899 – 9 June 1974) was a Guatemalan poet-diplomat, novelist, playwright and journalist. Winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1967, his work helped bring attention to the importance of i ...
,
César Vallejo
César Abraham Vallejo Mendoza (March 16, 1892 – April 15, 1938) was a Peruvian poet, writer, playwright, and journalist. Although he published only two books of poetry during his lifetime, he is considered one of the great poetic innovators ...
Gabriela Mistral
Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (; 7 April 1889 – 10 January 1957), known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral (), was a Chilean poet-diplomat, educator, and Catholic. She was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order or Third Franciscan order. She was ...
. In 1930, just barely 23 years old, he became History Professor at the National Preparatory School and he codirected the ''National University Magazine'' (''Revista de la Universidad Nacional'')Sánchez de Armas, Miguel Ángel "Andrés Iduarte: una voz necesaria ''La Jornada Semanal'' 647, Mexico, D.F.: July 29, 2007. He continued his studies at the Central University of Madrid,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, and became Secretary of the Hispano-American University Federation, a member of the Scholar University Federation, and Secretary of the Iberoamerican Division of the Athenaeus of Madrid. He lived there for six years; there he supported the republican cause before the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
, in which he actively participated in the trenches.
From 1939, Andrés Iduarte became Hispano-American Literature Professor at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, where he got his doctoral degree,Romero, Laura "Donan al CESU archivo del escritor Andrés Iduarte" , ''Gaceta UNAM'', 3627, Mexico, D.F.: April 21, 2003, p. 16. remaining there till 1952.
In 1952 he was designated General Director of the National Institute of Fine Arts (''Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes'', INBA) in Mexico; there he had among his fellow associates important artists such as
Andrés Henestrosa
Andrés Henestrosa Morales (November 25, 1906 – January 10, 2008) was a Mexican literature, Mexican writer and politician. In addition to his prose and poetry, Henestrosa was elected to the Congress of Mexico, federal legislature, serving th ...
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 Culture of Mexico, the country' ...
's coffin at her funeral, as willed by her beliefs. From 1961, Iduarte returned to Columbia University where he eventually became
emeritus professor
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
In some c ...
.
Among the recognitions he obtained, was the First Award of the Martí's Pro-Centennial Commission in Essay written by Foreigners in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. On July 17, 1978, the Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco and the state government of Tabasco awarded him with the Silver Juchiman for Arts.Dirección de Relaciones Públicas y Difusión "Reconocerá con el grado Doctor Honoris Causa al Dr. Juan José Beauregard Cruz" , ''Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco'', accessed on 2007-8-12.
Andrés Iduarte got married twice to the same woman, Graciela Frías Amescua, though they never had any children. On April 16, 1984, Andrés Iduarte died in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
.
Works
*''El libertador Simón Bolívar'' (1931)
*''Homenaje a Bolívar'' (1931)
*''Moral Problem of Mexican Youth'' (''El problema moral de la juventud mexicana'', 1932)
*''En el fuego de España (1933)''
*''Pláticas hispanoamericanas'' (1934)
*''Veinte años con Rómulo Gallegos'' (1934)
*''Martí, escritor'' (1944), doctoral dissertation from Columbia University.
*''México en la nostalgia'' (1944)
*''Sarmiento: a través de sus mejores páginas'' (1949)
*''Niño, child of the Mexican Revolution'' (''Un niño en la Revolución Mexicana'', 1951)
*''Island without Poison'' (''La isla sin veneno'', 1954), conference given at
Universidad de Oriente
The University of Oriente (UDO), founded in 1958, is one of the main national universities in Venezuela and the main autonomous university institution dedicated to teaching, research and development in Eastern Venezuela. With the commitment to t ...
on October 16, 1954
*''Sarmiento, Martí y Rodó'' (1955)
*''Gabriela Mistral, santa a la jineta'' (1958)
*''Don Pedro de Alba y su tiempo'' (1963)
*''Tres escritores mexicanos'' (1967)
*''El mundo sonriente'' (1968)
*''Preparatoria'' (1983)
*''Lunes de El Nacional'' (1970)
*''Diez estampas mexicanas'' (1971)
*''Hispanismo e hispanoamericanismo'' (1983)
*''Semblanzas'' (1984)