3 Hispanic writers, who suffered repression for their sexuality

Manuel Puig, Reinaldo Arenas and Federico García Lorca are three writers who have left a deep mark on Hispanic literature.

García Lorca was born in Andalusia on June 5, 1898, a poet, prose writer and playwright, he was murdered on August 18, 1936 in Granada, for being a homosexual and a republican.
Reinaldo Arenas was born in Cuba on July 16, 1943, novelist, playwright and poet, died in New York on December 7, 1990, he was imprisoned by the Cuban revolution for being homosexual.
Manuel Puig was born in Buenos Aires on December 28, 1932, a writer of short stories, novels, plays and scripts, died on July 22, 1990 in Mexico, was persecuted and censored for being homosexual, by the military dictatorships of Argentina and Brazil.

Identity and Oppression

There is no doubt that the historical context in which these writers lived influenced their literary style in different ways, since most of their stories explore themes related to identity and political oppression.
Federico García Lorca lived in Spain prior to the Civil War, that is, during the splendor of the Republic, influenced by avant-garde trends, involved in the artistic and literary movements of the time. His anti-Franco ideas can be seen in most of his works.
Reinaldo Arenas grew up in the political-social context of the Cuban Revolution, he was 16 years old when Fidel Castro took office. For this reason, his literature is daring and transgressive, challenging a state that repressed certain cultural and social manifestations, such as homosexuality.
Manuel Puig is influenced by the political-social context of his time, for this reason his work reflects the political and social oppression that was lived in Argentina during the different civic-military dictatorships (1955/58, 1962/63, 1966/73, 1976/83), who governed the country.

Literary achievements

The literary quality of the three is very high and recognized in the world of literature.
Federico García Lorca focuses on themes such as love, death and identity, with works such as “La casa de Bernarda Alba”, where he explores the moral and psychological tensions between women in a family, with social and economic problems.
Reinaldo Arenas, on the other hand, writes about freedom and political oppression, his most famous work is “Before Night Falls”, an autobiographical work where he recounts his fight against the Cuban regime, which imprisoned him for his sexual condition.
Manuel Puig is recognized for his innovative and experimental style, his most famous work “The kiss of the spider woman”, focuses on the life of two men imprisoned in Argentina during the military dictatorship, where the imagination and the oppression of the environment play a role. main role.

‘Maricones’

The Colombian writer Jaime Manrique, in his book “Maricones: Arenas, Lorca, Puig and I”, recounts key moments in the private and literary lives of these three important Hispanic writers.
Revealing the lives they led, the nature of their achievements, and the substantial contribution they made to altering and expanding the consciousness of our culture. Also in the work, Manrique recounts his intellectual and emotional journey, presenting a first-person view of what it means to grow up as a homosexual in Latin America.