Efraín Huertas

Efraín Huerta Roma (June 18, 1914 – February 3, 1982) was a Mexican poet and journalist. Born and raised in the state of Guanajuato, he moved to Mexico City initially to start a career in art. Unable to enter the Academy of San Carlos, he attended the Escuela Preparatoria Nacional, where he met writers such as Rafael Solana, Carmen Toscano and Octavio Paz. He had been writing poetry since he was young, but initially opted to attend law school; however, when he published his first book of poems, he left it to pursue writing full-time. As a poet, he published regularly from the 1930s to the 1980s, and as a journalist collaborated with over twenty newspapers and journals, under his own name and using pseudonyms. He was also active politically, a communist and Stalin supporter through his life with his social and political ideas finding their way into his writing. Poetically, he is part of the Taller generation of Mexican poets, although his development was a bit different from others in this group. Near the end of his career, his work had developed a colloquial style, including work focusing on Mexico City and creating a new form called a “poemínimo.”

Life Efraín Huerta was born Efrén Huerta Roma in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico, in 1914, during the Mexican Revolution which would have a profound impact on his life and Mexico in the 20th century. He was the seventh of eight children born to José Mercedes Huerta, a lawyer and judge and Sara Roma, with two of his siblings dying in childhood. In his youth he held various types of jobs including drawing advertising posters. Nonetheless, Huerta would remain in this city for the rest of his life, living in various neighborhoods in the center and west such as Tabacalera, El Periodista, historic center and Polanco.

Huerta married for the second time in 1958 with poet and fellow radical Thelma Nava. With her he had two more daughters Thelma Huerta Nava (1959) and Raquel Huerta Nava (1963). His work continues the Whitmanian tradition of rebellious non-conformity and vitality, but he eliminates Whitman’s base idealism and employs anti-rhetorical lyricism.

His years at law school influenced the logic and diction of his work, especially his early work, although over time, Huerta would abandon the formats of his youth entirely.

The 100th anniversary of the poet's birth was celebrated in Mexico in 2014 with tributes at the Mexican Senate,

Works 1935 - Absoluto amor 1936 - Línea del alba 1944 - Los hombres del alba 1943 - Poemas de guerra y esperanza 1950 - La rosa primitiva 1951 - Poesía 1953 - Poemas de viaje 1956 - Estrella en alto y nuevos poemas 1957 - Para gozar tu paz 1959 - ¡Mi país, oh mi país! 1959 - Elegía de la policía montada 1961 - Farsa trágica del presidente que quería una isla 1962 - La raíz amarga 1963 - El Tajín 1973 - Poemas prohibidos y de amor 1974 - Los eróticos y otros poemas 1980 - Estampida de poemínimos 1980 - Tranza poética 1985 - Estampida de Poemínimos