Don José Emilio Pacheco!

Happy Birthday, Don José Emilio Pacheco!

José Emilio Pacheco (Mexico City, 1939-2014) is one of the most read and recognized Mexican writers. His extensive portfolio — which included narrative, essay, journalism, and translation — was grounded in a poetry that had few comparisons during his time. He wrote prolifically, with collections that span five decades — from The Elements of the Night (1963) to The Age of Shadows and Like the Rain (both from 2009). These volumes exemplify Spanish language poetry at its best; Pacheco’s taste for bringing socially conscious poetry together with lyricism still resonates today.And of course, in prose, with his novel "Battles in the Desert" ( Las Batallas en el Desierto, Editorial Era, 1981) that marked the literary taste of thousands of young readers, and still continues and every day with greater force.

By Antonio Rodriguez Garcia, Mexico