The Dominican Republic is mourning. It has not only lost its greatest writer, but also a fundamental figure in Latin America’s history and culture. On Saturday, Marcio Veloz Maggiolo died of the corona virus at the age of 84.
His wise and in-depth articles will no longer appear on the pages of Listín Diario, but will always remain a model of literary quality and vertical thinking, always alongside the best goals in his country and the world.
Don Marcio, as he was affectionately known, was born in August 1936 in Villa Francisca, Santo Domingo.
At the time of his death, he was about to publish on the Loqueleo label, from Editorial Santillana, his childhood novel “Janumán”, about the funny story of a lion eating sweet potatoes and a monkey named Janumán.
At the time of his death, he was also working on two adult novels. He was a hard worker of the word. He did it without rest and dedication.
Narrator, poet, essayist, literary critic, archaeologist and anthropologist, Marcio Veloz Maggiolo received his primary education at the Escuela México and his secondary education at the Liceo Presidente Trujillo and the Escuela Hostos.
He graduated from Hostos School (1957); He graduated in philosophy and literature from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (1962), and a PhD in American history from the University of Madrid (1970). He also did higher studies in journalism in Quito, Ecuador.
During his professional career he held positions such as State Secretary for Culture; director of the research department of the Museum of the Dominican Man; Director of the Anthropology and History Department of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo; founder-director of the Cultural Extension department of the same university, and director of the Museo de las Casas Reales. He was also ambassador to Mexico, Peru and Italy.
He had a broad literary career. Some of his narrative and essay work has been translated into English, Italian, French and German. “He is one of the most prolific and widespread Dominican writers today, nationally and internationally.”
Among his passive bibliography are books with the status of The Good Thief (1960); Creonte and Six Stories (1961); Intus (1962); The fugitive (1962); Judas: The Good Thief (1962); Life Has No Name (1965); The bone angels (1966); Culture, Theater and Stories in Santo Domingo (1969); From April (1975); About Dominican Culture (1977); Where Did People Come From (1978); On culture and cultural policy in the Dominican Republic (1980); The Diffuse Biography of Sombra Castañeda (1981); Raw material (1990); Rites of Cabaret (1992); The Boss Was Barefoot (1993); Trujillo, Villa Francisca and Other Spirits (1996).
Among the many awards he has received for his creative work, the National Poetry Prize (1961) with Intus stands out; the National Novel Prize (1962) with The Good Thief; the National Novel Prize (1981) with The diffuse biography of Sombra Castañeda; the National Short Story Award (1981) with The Fertile Agony of Love; the National Novel Prize (1990) with Materia prima; the National Novel Prize (1992) with Ritos de Cabaret; the National Literature Prize (1996) and the National Book Fair (1997) with Trujillo, Villa Francisca and other spirits.