News from Berlin

News from Berlin - To mark the centenary of the birth of the great Mexican poet, essayist, diplomat and intellectual Octavio Paz, Mexican embassy in Berlin organised a reading of his poems and a talk with the editor and literary critic Michi Strausfeld on March 31st. On top of that, the poet, translator and editor Aurelio Major, both well versed in the person and work of Octavio Paz also participated. The event was held in the Mexican Embassy in Klingelhöferstraße 3.

Octavio Paz is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century Latin American literature. His extensive and award-winning poetry began in 1933. Committed to democratic ideals and the fight against totalitarianism, the work of Octavio Paz includes a collection of essays on cultural and political issues, as well as the history of Mexico, among them titles like "El laberinto de la soledad" (1950) and "El ogro filantrópico".

As a diplomat he lived in Paris and in India, where he was ambassador from 1962 to 1968. Among the many awards received for his work, like Cervantes (1981) and Nobel (1990), important ones include the Jerusalem Prize for Literature (Israel, 1977), the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (1984) and the Prince of Asturias Award (1993).

News from Berlin - Berlin Global