Augusto Roa Bastos
A Paraguayan literary giant who used myth, history, and dense narrative to dissect the soul of a nation shaped by dictatorship.
1917–2005 (age 88)·Paraguayan writer·Birthday: June 13·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Augusto Roa Bastos's life was forged in the crucible of Paraguayan history. As a teenager, he fought in the brutal Chaco War, an experience that seeded a deep skepticism of power and official narratives. He turned to journalism and then to fiction, creating a body of work that relentlessly interrogated his country's past. His masterpiece, 'Yo el Supremo,' is a monumental, labyrinthine novel ventriloquizing the mind of Paraguay's first dictator, Dr. Francia. It is not a historical portrait but a profound exploration of the solitude, paranoia, and linguistic tyranny of absolute power. Forced into a long exile for his political views, Roa Bastos wrote from France and Spain, yet his imagination never left Paraguay. His 1989 Cervantes Prize cemented his status as a writer who transformed national trauma into universal art, proving that the stories of small, overlooked countries could speak to the entire world.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Augusto was born in 1917, placing them squarely in The Greatest 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 Augusto Was Born
The biggest hits of 1917
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Augusto's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1917Born
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Started school
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1930Became a teenager
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1933Could drive
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1935Could vote
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1938Turned 21
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1947Turned 30
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 40
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 50
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 60
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 70
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 80
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2005Died at 88
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Premio Miguel de Cervantes in 1989, the highest honor in Spanish-language literature.
- Wrote 'Yo el Supremo,' a landmark novel of the 'dictator novel' genre in Latin American literature.
- His extensive body of work includes novels, short stories, poetry, and screenplays, often focusing on Paraguayan history and identity.
- Lived in exile for over four decades due to his opposition to the Stroessner dictatorship in Paraguay.
Did You Know?
He worked as a war correspondent during the Chaco War while still in his teens.
Roa Bastos co-wrote the screenplay for the 1975 film 'The Truce,' based on Mario Benedetti's novel.
He taught Guaraní, Paraguay's indigenous language, at the University of Toulouse in France.
“The writer is an exorcist of his own demons.”
