Federico Gamboa Iglesias (1864-1939) was a Mexican writer, playwright, and diplomat. The author's work was framed within naturalism, that is, it was oriented to the exposure of reality, from the neutral. He was one of the best representatives of this literary style in his country.
Gamboa's work was characterized by having a cultured, precise and at the same time severe language. His writings spanned various genres, such as narrative, essay, and theater. On the other hand, he devoted himself to writing some memoirs, and an autobiography.
Some of the most outstanding titles of the Mexican writer were: Santa, The Last Campaign Y Between brothers. It is necessary to note that the life of Federico Gamboa also passed between diplomacy and politics, through the exercise of various positions both inside and outside of Mexico.
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Federico Gamboa was born on December 22, 1864 in Mexico City, into a cultured family. Information about his family and personal life is scarce, however, it is known that he lived his first years in his native country, and that, in 1880, he moved to New York with his father for a time..
Information on Gamboa's years of education is also not accurate. However, it is known that part of his initial training took place in Mexico. After finishing high school, he began to study at the National School of Jurisprudence, to become a notary public..
At that time, Federico suffered the loss of his father, and the emotional ailment was compounded by financial difficulties. So, in 1884, he dropped his studies and began to work to support himself, as a clerk in a civil court..
During the time that he began working in court, Federico Gamboa also began contact with letters through journalism. Between 1884 and 1888 he wrote the column From my table, in the printed medium The Home Diary. However, this literary space did not sign it with his name, but under the alias The corcadiere.
Despite the economic difficulties that arose, Gamboa was a determined man in the fulfillment of his goals. In 1888 he enrolled in the Mexican Foreign Service (SEM), with the aim of starting a diplomatic career; the following year he published Of the natural. Contemporary sketches.
His first job within the SEM was as secretary. However, in that position he did not last long, because he was promptly sent as a representative to Guatemala, when he was barely twenty-four years old. From there he went on to carry out diplomatic work in Argentina..
Federico Gamboa alternated his diplomatic work with his literary one. After having been in Argentina, he returned to Mexico. At that time he wrote The last campaign Y Supreme law. Already in 1896, again at the headquarters of the SEM, he served as director of the consulate of foreign affairs.
Later, from 1899 to 1902, he was sent to Guatemala as a business delegate. When the period of the previous mission ended, he went to the United States as secretary of the Mexican commission. It was on that date, 1903, that he published his most famous work: Santa.
Federico Gamboa's diplomatic career practically developed during the third term of President Porfirio Díaz's government, between 1884 and 1911. In 1910 he served as minister in Guatemala. Then he went to Mexico, where he was in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
Soon after, he was appointed ambassador to Belgium, and then to Holland. At that time, after the centenary of Mexico's Independence had been celebrated, he was also sent to Spain to answer for the commission that attended the festival..
Porfirio Díaz stopped ruling in 1911, and it was precisely Gamboa who received him in Europe. Two years later the writer left diplomatic missions aside to opt for the presidency of the Republic of Mexico, under the representation of the National Catholic Party.
Federico Gamboa was not victorious, but Victoriano Huerta prevailed. After that his diplomatic career was less, because during the government of Venustiano Carranza he had to leave Mexico for political reasons. By that time he had already married María Sagaseta and they both had a son.
Gamboa returned to Mexico in 1919, after having lived away from his country for four years. Once installed, he dedicated himself to writing and receiving some awards and recognitions. He also worked as a journalist in newspapers and newspapers.
Of his last years of life were his works: The Evangelist, Between Brothers Y My Diary, Second Series II, 1909-1911. Over time his health deteriorated, and he died on August 15, 1939, in Mexico City, at the age of seventy-four..
- Foreign member of the Royal Spanish Academy, as of November 14, 1884.
- Member of the Mexican Academy of the Language, since March 22, 1909.
- Director of the Mexican Academy of the Language, from 1923 to 1939.
- Honorary Individual from the Colombian Academy of Language in 1935.
Federico Gamboa's literary style was characterized by belonging to or developing within naturalism, which meant that his writings were realistic, neutral, and objective. In addition, he used a precise, studied, elegant and sometimes rigid and unforgiving language..
As for the themes developed by the Mexican writer, these were related to pleasure, pain, love and suffering. Finally, Gamboa was an author concerned with showing interest in settings and details; in addition, there were emotions and a special magic in his work
- Of the natural. Contemporary sketches (1889).
- Appearances (Unknown date).
- Appearances (1892). It was an apocryphal edition published in a newspaper brochure West, from Argentina.
- Supreme law (1896).
- Metamorphosis (1899).
- Santa (1903).
- Reconquest (1908).
- The sore (1913).
- The Evangelist: A Novel of Mexican Customs (1922).
It was one of the most important and widely read narrative works by Federico Gamboa, so much so that his plot has been adapted to the big screen on several occasions. History is an expression of feelings, emotions and decisions as a result of despair.
There was a presence of reality or naturalism in the novel, where the writer demonstrated the marked influence that the Frenchman Émile Zola and the well-known Goncourt brothers had on him. Gamboa used an expressive language, with a strong tone and sometimes dirty or not very subtle..
Santa narrated the story of a young village girl who, due to adverse circumstances in her life, came to a kind of whorehouse. His existence was marked by pain, disorder, lust and pleasure, until a special person appears, but it is too late..
Hipólito, a musician and pianist, came to Santa's life who fell madly in love with her. Although his intentions are good, the protagonist does not decide for him. Then she fell ill, and he took care of her. The man suffered the pain of seeing her die, and buried her in the town where she was born.
“Santa and his parishioner woke up… They spoke little to each other, only what was necessary to hurt each other with taunts or muffled insults, as if after a night of bought caresses they had suddenly remembered him appeased, there was nothing between them except the eternal hatred that in the background separates the sexes ...
Now they all asked to be from the happy party, and they joked, onerous contracts were adjusted, the caravan was increased and another calender was brought in, which turned out to be rickety, filthy, moaning ... ".
- A dance in the palace (1884).
- The Mexican novel (1914).
- The confession of a palace. Essay on National History (Unknown date).
- The last campaign (1894). Comedy genre.
- Have fun (1894). Prose monologue.
- Revenge of the Gleba (1904). Drama written in prose.
- Good account (1907). Of the drama genre.
- Between brothers (1925). Tragedy.
- Impressions and memories (1893).
- My diary. First series I: 1892-1896 (1908).
- My diary I. Much of my life, and some of that of others 1892-1896 (Unknown date).
- My diary. First series II: 1897-1900 (1910).
- My diary. First series III: 1901-1904 (1920).
- My diary. Much of my life, and some of others, second series I: 1905-1908 (1934).
- My Diary IV 1905-1908. Much of my life, and some of others.
- My diary. Much of my life and some of that of others, second series II: 1909-1911 (1938).
- My diary VI. Much of my life and some of others, 1912-1919 (Posthumous edition, 1995).
- My diary VII. Much of my life and some of others, 1920-1939 (Posthumous edition, 1996).
- Newspaper Forum, proofreader (1884).
- Opera clouds (1886).
- Daily On Monday, editor (1888).
- Silhouettes (1894-1895). Journalistic column written jointly with Ángel del Campo in the newspaper The world.
- Writer and translator in The Social Reform (1915-1917). Cuban magazine.
- Journalist in the newspaper The universal (1926-1939).
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