Alejo carpentier biography of michael

He received an excellent education in private schools and at the University of Havana before becoming involved in the Afro-Cuban movement which integrated African influences into Cuban music, dance and theatre. Praised Be God! From until he was back in Cuba, but susequently he moved to Caracas, Venezuela. This was one of the stories included in the collection Guerra del tiempo War of Time.

The Haitian revolution led by Henri Christophe against the French colonists in was the subject of Carpentier's second novel, El reino de este mundo The Kingdom of This World ; it is about the Haitian revolution. When he left Cuba, he was fortunate enough to avoid the political conflicts which had occurred during the s. During this time certain positions were unacceptable to the authorities and Cuban intellectuals were forced to define their political position and for these and other political reasons he decided to leave.

During this time abroad, his disconnection from Cuba and the interaction with different groups of intellectuals and artists in Paris helped with his "critical vision". Contributions to the Parisian Journal such as the short story "Cahiers du Sud"in French, were an effort to acquire European readers as a way to improve his recognition. He documented the latest news about this group and their activities in his book Homenaje a nuestros amigos de Paris.

Surrealism helped Carpentier to see contexts and aspects, especially those of American life, which he did not see before and after working among the leading artistic figures for some time, Carpentier did not feel overly enthusiastic about his work within surrealism and had felt that his "surrealist attempts ha[d] been in vain" describing his frustration, as he felt he had "nothing to add to this movement in France".

Throughout his time in France Carpentier was occupied with not only literary works, but also other projects that kept him engaged within the arts. In film, Carpentier wrote text and edited music for the French documentary Le Vaudou. He also began working for a French radio station as a sound-technician and producer.

Alejo carpentier biography of michael

From until Carpentier worked on several projects produced by Foniric Studios. Although abroad, Carpentier still maintained contact with Cuba by sending articles and poems to contribute to Havana publications such as Ensayos Convergentes. When the Machado regime came to an end inCarpentier decided to make plans to return to his native land to visit, and in he made the trip back to Cuba.

The time he had spent in Paris for over eleven years had enriched and "oriented his expressive abilities". This trip, along with readings from Oswald Spengler 's cyclical interpretation of history, provided the inspiration for his second novel, El Reino de Este Mundo The Kingdom of this World InCarpentier moved to Caracas as an exile.

From to he lived in Venezuelawhich is the alejo carpentier biography of michael for the unnamed South American country in which much of his novel The Lost Steps takes place. He wrote short stories which were later collected in The War of Time Inhe finished his novel The Kingdom of this World. This novel has a prologue that "outlines Carpentier's faith in the destiny of Latin America and the aesthetic implications of its peculiar cultural heritage.

Carpentier returned to Cuba after the triumph of the revolution led by Fidel Castro in It has twin leitmotifs of the printing press and the guillotine and can be read as a "meditation on the dangers inherent in all revolutions as they begin to confront the temptations of dictatorship. InCarpentier settled in Paris where he served as Cuban ambassador to France.

In he was the recipient of the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca. Carpentier was struggling with cancer as he completed his final novel, El arpa y la sombraand finally died in Paris on April 24, His remains were returned to Cuba for interment in the Colon Cemetery, Havana. Carpentier is widely known for his theory of lo real maravilloso. This is the notion that the history and the geography of Latin America are both so extreme as to appear fictional or even magical to outsiders.

Thus, Latin America is a region where the line between magic and reality is blurred. It was in the prologue to The Kingdom of this Worlda novel of the Haitian Revolutionthat he described his vision of lo real maravilloso : "But what is the history of Latin America but a chronicle of magical realism? Some critics interpret the real maravilloso as being synonymous with magical realism.

As a young child Carpentier was exposed to a great deal of music. Carpentier himself played the piano, as did his mother; his father played cello, studying under Pablo Casalsand his grandmother played the organ. His devotion to the adaptations of European artistic styles into Latin American music styles can also be seen in his admiration for Afro-Cuban musical themes.

Early in his career Carpentier collaborated with other young musicians eager to explore Cuban musical roots. Carpentier's interest in music had great influence on his prose writing. Navarro suggests that readers of Carpentier's works are more listeners than they are readers. As such, for Carpentier to better understand Cuban identity through his work, he eagerly integrated music into his writing.

With this intrinsic appreciation of music and a fascination with Cuban identity, Carpentier began investigating the origins of Cuban music in a more academic sense. This novel discusses the advent of the Enlightenment and the ideas of the French Revolution in the New World. InCarpentier settled in Paris where he served as Cuban ambassador to France.

In he was the recipient of the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca. Carpentier was struggling with cancer as he completed his final novel, El arpa y la sombra, and finally died in Paris on April 24, Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Learn more about citation styles Citation styles Encyclopedia. More From encyclopedia. About this article Carpentier, Alejo — Updated About encyclopedia.

Carpentier y ValmontAlejo. Carpenters, The. Carpenter-Phinney, Connie —. Carpenter, Wingie actually, Theodore. Carpenter, Willie C. Willie Carpenter. Carpenter, Thelma — Carpenter, Teresa Suzanne Carpenter, Sue Carpenter, Stanley D.