Vicente Quirarte

Vicente Quirarte Castañeda (19 July 1954 – 11 August 2026) was a Mexican academic and writer whose work includes poetry, theatre, and essays. He was a member of both the Colegio Nacional and the Mexican Academy of Language.

Life and career Vicente Quirarte was born in the historic centre of Mexico City on 19 July 1954. He earned a bachelor's degree (1982) in Spanish language and literature, and a master's degree (1989) and doctorate (1998) in Mexican literature, all from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he also taught and conducted research. He was admitted to the Mexican Academy of Language in 2003 and to the Colegio Nacional in 2016. He also served as the director of the National Library of Mexico from 2004 to 2008.

He was awarded the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize in 1991 for the verse collection El ángel es vampiro and the National Prize for Arts and Sciences (literature category) in 2024.

Quirarte died in Mexico City on 11 August 2026, at the age of 72.