Manuel Sánchez Mármol (May 25, 1839 – March 6, 1912) was a Mexican writer, journalist, lawyer, politician, and a member of the Mexican Academy of Language.

Life and career

Manuel Sánchez Mármol was born to Ceferino Sánchez and Josefa Mármol on May 25, 1839, in Cunduacán, Tabasco, Mexico."Homenaje a Don Manuel Sánchez Mármol"
''H. Ayuntamiento Constitucional de Cunduacán, Tabasco'', March, 2003. His primary studies were carried out at a private school in his home town and, thanks to a scholarship, he went to study at the Conciliar Seminar of San Ildefonso in Mérida,

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

, when he was 14 years old.Hilda Bautista, "Presentación" en ''Previvida'' de Manuel Sánchez Mármol, Premiá Editora de Libros, S.A., Mexico, D.F., 1982. Still being young, around 1854, he got interested in journalism, and along with a classmate, he published two manuscript newspapers: ''El Rayo'' (''The Lightning'') and ''El Investigador'' (''The Investigator'').Antonio Castro Leal, "Manuel Sánchez Mármol", ''Semblanzas de Académicos'', Ediciones del Centenario de la Academia Mexicana, Mexico, D.F., 1975, 313 pp. He later collaborated with ''El Album Yucateco'' (''The Yucatecan Album'') and with ''El Repertorio Pintoresco'' (''The Colorful Repertory''). He organized a literary society named "La Concordia" that edited a journal named ''La Guirnalda'' (''The Garland''). In ''El Clamor Público'' (''The Public Outcry''), a newspaper he founded with Pedro de Regil,

Eligio Ancona Eligio María Ancona Castillo (November 30, 1836 – April 3, 1893) was a teacher, lawyer, novelist, historian, playwright, journalist, and Mexican politician who was born in Mérida, Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán. He was named “''benemérito� ...

and Ramón Aldana, Sánchez Mármol published his first political writings, for which he was later appointed as a councilman to the Mérida City Council. Along with Alonso de Regil and José Peón y Contreras, he published a book entitled ''Poetas yucatecos y tabasqueños'' (''Yucatecan and Tabascan Poets'') in 1961. With José Peón y Contreras and Manuel Roque Castellanos, he founded the satirical journal ''La Burla'' (''The Mockery''), which was suppressed by the state government of Yucatán. During the years of the French intervention in Mexico, Sánchez Mármol stood up for the

Liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...

cause by means of his commentaries in the political weekly magazines ''El Disidente'' (''The Dissident'') and ''El Águila Azteca'' (''The Aztec Eagle''), the latter being created by himself. He also collaborated in ''El Repertorio Pintoresco'' of Crescencio Carrillo y Ancona and in ''El Federalista'' (''The Federalist'') and ''El Siglo XIX'' (''The 19th Century'') 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 ...

. He occupied diverse public positions, among the ones that stand out are as General Secretary of the State Government and Magistrate of the Supreme Court in the state of Tabasco during the government of Colonel Gregorio Méndez Magaña. He got elected deputy in 1868; however, he did not take office until 1871, and was reelected several times for the state of Tabasco, being a member of the VI, VII and VII Legislature of the

Congress of Mexico A congress is a formal meeting of the Representative democracy, representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political party, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle Engl ...

, and member of the XI Legislature of the State Congress of Tabasco (1883–1884). He was also a representative for the states of

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He was appointed Secretary of Justice to President

José María Iglesias José María Juan Nepomuceno Crisóforo Iglesias Inzáurraga (5 January 1823 – 17 December 1891) was a Mexican lawyer, professor, journalist and liberal politician. He is known as author of the Iglesias law, an anticlerical law regulating e ...

. After the triumph of the Revolution of Tuxtepec, Sánchez Mármol retired to Tabasco, where Governor Simón Sarlat Nova appointed him Director of the Juárez Institute, nowadays Juárez Autonomous University of Tabasco, of which he became the first director since the opening of the institute on January 1, 1879, until the year of 1888. In 1892, Sánchez Marmol moved to Mexico City where he opened his

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

. He worked 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 ...

where he taught History of Mexico and Literature. He died on March 6, 1912, 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 ...

Work

Manuel Sánchez Mármol is considered an elegant

castizo ''Castizo''Pronunciation in Latin American Spanish: (fem. ''Castiza'') was a racial category used in 18th-century Spanish America to refer to people who were three-quarters Spanish by descent and one-quarter Amerindian. The category of ''casti ...

writer, belonging to the group of great Mexican novelists of the latter years of the 19th century and the beginnings of the 20th century, standing among other writers such as Rafael Delgado, Emilio Rabasa,

José López Portillo y Rojas José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

, Porfirio Parra,

Victoriano Salado Álvarez Victoriano Salado Álvarez (30 September 1867 – 13 October 1931) was a Mexican writer, a prominent figure on the debate about Modernism in Mexican literature. He also served as secretary of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of President Porf ...

and Federico Gamboa, figures of the Mexican

literary realism Literary realism is a movement and genre of literature that attempts to represent mundane and ordinary subject-matter in a faithful and straightforward way, avoiding grandiose or exotic subject-matter, exaggerated portrayals, and speculative ele ...

."Reeditan antología de poetas: Yucatecos y tabasqueños del siglo XIX"
''unasletras.com'', accessed on December 24, 2007. It is possible to see the influence of

Juan Valera Juan Valera may refer to: * Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano (1824–1905), Spanish author, diplomat and politician * Juan Valera (footballer) (born 1984), Spanish footballer {{hndis, Valera, Juan ...

throughout his fiction writings. His first novel, ''El misionero de la cruz'' (''The Missionary of the Cross''), written in 1860, opened the road to the novel of the natives of Tabasco, even though the novel has Yucatán as a setting, state to which the destiny of Tabasco has been historically associated to. In 1871, Sánchez Mármol wrote ''Brindis de Navidad'' (''Christmas Toast''), a brief story published in ''Álbum de Navidad'' (''Christmas Album''). In 1882, he wrote the political satire ''Pocahontas'', a novel that was lost given that there was only an original edition made on that year as indicated by the Tipográfica Juventud Tabasqueña press which in 2004 was printed again by the state government of Tabasco based on a copy available in the

National Library of Mexico The National Library of Mexico () is located in University City of Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, the main campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City. It was first established on November 30, 1867. As a national ...

that was given to

Guillermo Prieto Guillermo Prieto Pradillo (10 February 1818 – 2 March 1897) was a Mexican novelist, short-story writer, poet, chronicler, journalist, essayist, patriot and Liberal politician. According to Eladio Cortés, during his lifetime he was consider ...

by the author.Jorge Munguía Espitia, "Rescate de Sánchez Mármol", ''Proceso'' 1465: Mexico, D.F., November 28, 2004.

Works

* Novels ** ''El misionero de la cruz'' (1860) ** ''Pocahontas'' (1882) ** ''La pálida'' (1892) ** ''Juanita Sousa'' (1901) ** ''Antón Pérez'' (1903) ** ''Previvida'' (1906) * Essay ** ''Las letras patrias'' (1902) ** ''México, su evolución social'' (1902)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez Marmol, Manuel Writers from Tabasco Journalists from Tabasco Members of the Congress of Tabasco Members of the Mexican Academy of Language 1839 births 1912 deaths