Ricardo Elizondo Elizondo

Ricardo Elizondo Elizondo (January 26, 1950, Monterrey – August 24, 2013, Monterrey) was a writer, playwright, historian and archivist, whose work concentrated on preserving and promoting the culture of northeastern Mexico. Several of his books won awards and other recognitions in Mexico and abroad.

Life Elizondo was the fourth of six children of Aurora Elizondo of Huinalá and Guadalupe Elizondo of Monterrey proper. Elizondo's father was a worker and union leader at the Fundidora de Fierro y Acero de Monterrey. His mother had served as an arbiter in water disputes in her town.

Elizondo's interest in words and stories both fiction and non-fiction began when he was a child. His great grandparents on his mother's side told him many stories of the area, including battles against the indigenous of the area that were still ongoing at the end of the 19th century. This experience formed the basis of his literary development. He began writing stories in his free time since the sixth grade, when he decided he wanted to be a writer. He also began a project of the vocabulary and speech of his region's Spanish, which would eventually become the book Lexicon del Noreste. He did study humanities for a time at UNAM, but he did not finish this degree.

Career Elizondo wrote novels, short stories, plays, works on history and biographies. chronicling life and change in the towns and cities of his border region. Setenta veces siete won the Premio Colima from the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1987. Books such as Narcedalia Piedrotas (1993) and Setenta veces siete (1987) can be found on college syllabi.

He had a passion for photography, which he inherited from his father. In addition to taking photographs, he had a large collection of them from the 19th century. His photographic work made its way into books such as Monterrey, una vision fotográfica, Regiomontanos 1900 and Polvo de aquellos lodos. In 1999, he wrote a commemorative edition on the Palace of Lecumberri on its 100th anniversary (Lecumberri, ángel y escorpión: galería fotográfica del ultimo día) which documented the conversion of the building from prison to the General Archives of the Nation.

Work

Setenta veces siete (Seventy times seven) Narcedalia Piedrotas Lexicón del noreste de México (Lexicón of northeastern Mexico) Polvo de aquellos lodos (Dust of the sludge)

Mentions and national and international recognition

1988 Britannica Book of the Year. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Chicago, Auckland, Geneve, London, Manila, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto. 1989. New Writing from Mexico. Edited by Reginald Gibbons. Triquarterly Books. Northwestern University. 1992 Dictionary of Spanish Literature. Directed by Ricardo Gullón. Alianza Editorial. Madrid, Spain. 1992. Dictionary of Mexican writers of the twentieth century. National Autonomous University of Mexico. Mexico DF 1992. Anthology of twentieth century Mexican narrative. Christopher Michel Dominguez. Economic Culture Fund. Mexico DF 1991. The new historical novel in Latin America, 1979-1992. Seymour Menton. Economic Culture Fund. Mexico DF 1993. The word game: New Mexican story. Lauro Zavala. University of the State of Mexico. 1993. This Mexican narrative. Vincent F. Torres. UAM. Mexico DF 1991.