Alfonso Reyes
A Mexican humanist who shaped 20th-century Latin American letters, he wove together diplomacy, classical scholarship, and a profound love for his homeland's soul.
1889–1959 (age 70)·Mexican writer, philosopher and diplomat·Birthday: May 17·The Lost Generation
Biography
Alfonso Reyes was the quintessential man of letters, a diplomat whose true embassy was culture. Forced into exile during the Mexican Revolution, he turned a personal displacement into a creative forge, writing in Madrid about the myths and landscapes of a Mexico he yearned for. He returned to become a central architect of the country's modern intellectual life, founding institutes and mentoring generations. His prose, elegant and erudite, moved effortlessly from dissecting Greek poetry to capturing the essence of a Mexican sunset. As ambassador to Argentina and Brazil, he built cultural bridges across the Americas. Reyes believed literature was a civilizing force, and his vast, varied work stands as a monument to that belief.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Alfonso was born in 1889, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alfonso Was Born
The biggest hits of 1889
Alfonso's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1889Born
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Started school
President: Grover Cleveland
1902Became a teenager
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Could drive
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Could vote
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Turned 21
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 30
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 40
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 50
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 60
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 70
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
Key Achievements
- Founded the prestigious Colegio de México, a leading center for humanities and social sciences.
- Served as Mexico's ambassador to Argentina and Brazil, fostering significant cultural diplomacy.
- Wrote the seminal essay 'Visión de Anáhuac', a poetic and historical meditation on the Valley of Mexico.
- Was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times.
- His extensive literary output includes essays, poetry, literary criticism, and translations of classical works.
Did You Know?
His father, General Bernardo Reyes, was a key figure in the Mexican Revolution and died in the Decena Trágica.
He was a close friend of Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez and many other leading intellectuals of his day.
Reyes was a member of the Ateneo de la Juventud, a influential group of young Mexican humanists.
He once worked as a cashier in a Parisian bank during his exile to support his writing.
“Between what I see and what I say, between what I say and what I keep silent, between what I keep silent and what I dream, between what I dream and what I forget: poetry.”
