Octavio Paz Biography

Mexico has had a few renowned poets and authors. I have chosen to do a report on Octavio Paz not only because he is the best known poet but also because he grew up during the Mexican Revolution and World War II. Because of his life experience and his love for poetry he has made a huge impact in the world of literature. I believe that through his poems he wanted to make a change in Mexico. He would not stand for injustice and would not be swayed by anyone. He is known as el poeta de la palabra or the poet of the word. He was a revolutionary poet that tried to bring peace just like his last name. Octavio Paz was born in March 31, 1914 in Mexico City, Mexico. Both his father and his grandfather were involved in politics and journalism.

He went to Spain to attend a congress of leftist-thinking writers. When he came back from Spain his mission was to popularize the Spanish Republican cause (Poetry Foundation, 2016). He spent time in California and New York as a Graduate student, journalist, and translator (Poetry Foundation, 2016). In 1946 he began his career as a diplomat and was stationed in France (Nobelprize.org, 2016). There he wrote dozens of volumes of poetry. He was later also ambassador in India and was influenced by his experience there in his writings (Nobelprize.org,

Octavio Paz has been highly regarded by his colleagues and specially the Mexican people. He had encounters with many important figures such as Andre Breton who was a renowned French poet and father of Surrealist Manifesto (The Wars of Octavio Paz, 2016). He was also friends with Jorge Luis Borges another award winning Argentina writer. His works eloquently describe many struggles Mexico has been through. He also has a diverse set of poems that can be applied in any situation. To Mexico he is one of the fathers of literacy and helped achieved freedom by publishing magazines that were not run by government (Poetry Foundation, 2016). His most well-known work is the "Labyrinth of Solitude" which is about interpreting and understanding Mexican culture. This short story has been analyzed by people all over the