Aquiles Nazoa

Aquiles Nazoa (Caracas, 17 May 1920 - 26 April 1976) was a Venezuelan writer, journalist, poet and humorist. His work expressed the values of popular Venezuelan culture.

Career He worked in the newspaper El Universal as a packer, later becoming a proof-reader. He had also begun to read English and French which allowed him to work simultaneously as a tourist guide in the Museo de Bellas Artes. He became the correspondent of El Universal in Puerto Cabello and was arrested in 1940 for defamation and slanderous allegations when criticising the Municipal authorities.

He worked in Tropical Radio, had a column in El Universal entitled Punta de lanza (spearhead), and was reporter for the newspaper Últimas Noticias. He collaborated in the weekly magazine El Morrocoy Azul and the newspaper El Nacional. He wrote for the Colombian magazine, Sábado (Saturday) and lived a year in Cuba. In 1945, he became editor of the magazine Fantoches. In 1956, he was expelled from the country by the regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, but returned in 1958.

In 1948, Nazoa obtained the Premio Nacional de Periodismo (National Journalism Prize) in the humour and customs section. He was also awarded the Premio Municipal de Literatura del Distrito Federal (Municipal Prize for Literature of the Federal District) in 1967.

He died in an automobile accident between Caracas and Valencia.

Published works Caperucita criolla (Creole Little Red Riding-Hood), 1955 Poesía para colorear (Poetry for colouring), 1958 El burro flautista (The flautist donkey), 1958 Los dibujos de Leo (Leo's drawings), 1959 Caballo de manteca (Butter Horse), 1960 Los poemas (The Poems), 1961 Cuba de Martí a Fidel Castro (Cuba from Martí to Fidel Castro), 1961 Mientras el palo va y viene (While the pole comes and goes), 1962 Poesías costumbristas, humorísticas y festivas (Poems of customs, humourist and festival), 1963 Pan y circo (Bread and Circus), 1965 Los humoristas de Caracas (The humorists of Caracas), 1966 Caracas física y espiritual (Caracas - physical and spiritual), 1967 Historia de la música contada por un oyente (History of music as told by a listener), 1968 Humor y amor de Aquiles Nazoa (The humour and love of Aquiles Nazoa), 1969 Retrato hablado de matapalo (Spoken portrait of Ficus sp.),1970 Venezuela suya (His Venezuela), 1971 Los sin cuenta usos de la electricidad (The countless uses of electricity), 1973 Gusto y regusto de la cocina venezolana (Taste and aftertaste of Venezuelan cookery), 1973 Vida privada de las muñecas de trapo (Private life of the rag dolls), 1975 Raúl Santana con un pueblo en el bolsillo (Raúl Santana with a town in his pocket), 1976 Genial e Ingenioso: La obra literaria y gráfica del gran artista caraqueño Leoncio Martínez (Brilliant and Ingenious: The literary and graphical work of the great Caracas artist Leoncio Martinez), 1976 Aquiles y la Navidad (Aquiles and Christmas), 1976