St. Catharine’s College, the Cambridge University Mexican Society and the MexSocUK have the pleasure to invite you to a special gathering with the internationally renowned Mexican author and intellectual

CARLOS FUENTES

in a conversation with students in occasion to celebrate his eightieth birthday and to acknowledge his involvement in the foundation of the Mexican Students Society in the UK.

Carlos Fuentes has long been acclaimed as one of the greatest literary and political figures of the Spanish-speaking world. The leading figure of Latin America’s literary boom of the 1960s and 1970s, his novels, including the classics Terra Nostra, The Death of Artemio Cruz and The Old Gringo, are passionate explorations of the history and identity of the Latin American nations, and of their contentious relationship with the United States of America.

Monday, 29th September 2008, 1 pm
Senior Common Room, St. Catharine’s College
Cambridge CB2 1RL
Map: http://tinyurl.com/6quxhz

Free Entrance (but booking is essential: jbr28@cam.ac.uk)

Subsequently, in a joint event organised by Emmanuel College and the Mexican Embassy in the UK, we would like to invite you to the seminar:

“A Conversation with Carlos Fuentes”
with Carlos Monsiváis, Jorge Volpi, and Ignacio Padilla as special guests

The Queen’s Building, Emmanuel College, 5 pm (the event will be followed by drinks).

For those interested in learning about the panorama of Latin American history and literature, this is a unique opportunity to listen to these renowned and talented figures.

We hope to have the pleasure of your company and enjoy a great evening, see you all there!

More info: http://www.cumexsoc.org.uk/

Facebook event: http://tinyurl.com/5rty9q

Carlos Fuentes

The son of a Mexican diplomat, Fuentes spent much of his childhood in Washington, D.C. and in various Latin American cities, returning every summer to his grandmother’s home in Mexico. As Mexico’s best-known public intellectual, he served as Ambassador to France in the 1970s. He has actively participated in the academic life of Princeton, Harvard, Brown, Columbia and Cambridge universities. His work has been distinguished with the most prestigious awards, including the following: the National Prize in Literature in Mexico (1984); the Miguel de Cervantes Prize (1987), awarded annually to honour the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language; France’s Legion of Honour Award (1992); Italy’s Cavour Award (1994); Spain’s Príncipe de Asturias Award (1994); and the inaugural Latin Civilization Award (1999), presented jointly by the Presidents of Brazil, Mexico and France.