Rosario Castellanos

Diagnoses

Personal

Vocation

Notable

Mexican poet, playwright, essayist and novelist, one of Mexico's most important literary voices in the last century, along with the other members of the Generation of 1950 (the poets who wrote following the Second World War, influenced by César Vallejo and others). Throughout her life, she wrote eloquently about issues of cultural and gender oppression, and her work has influenced feminist theory and cultural studies. Though she died young, she opened the door of Mexican literature to women, and left a legacy that still resonates today. She married Ricardo Guerra Tejada, a professor of philosophy, in 1958. The birth in 1961 of their son Gabriel Guerra Castellanos (now a political scientist) was an important moment in Castellanos’ life; prior to his birth, she suffered from depression after several miscarriages. However, she and Guerra divorced after thirteen years of marriage, Guerra having been unfaithful to Castellanos. Her own personal life was marked by her difficult marriage and continuous depression, but she dedicated a large part of her work and energy to defending women’s rights, for which she is remembered as a symbol of Latin American feminism. In addition to her literary work, Castellanos held several government posts. In recognition for her contribution to Mexican literature, Castellanos was appointed ambassador to Israel in 1971. Castellanos died on 7 August 1974, aged 49, in Tel Aviv from an unfortunate electrical accident. Link to Wikipedia biography