Zaid, Gabriel (1934–)

Gabriel Zaid, born on October 14, 1934, is a Mexican poet and essayist. Although an engineer by training, Zaid has become one of the Mexican literary establishment's most active members, recognized as a poet, essayist, literary critic, translator, editor, and researcher. He is a member of El Colegio Nacional and the Mexican Language Academy. Zaid won the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize (1972) and the Magda Donato Prize (1986) for his poetry, which has been described as meticulously structured, refined, concise, and as the antithesis of the confessional and exuberant poetry of Jaime Sabines, his contemporary. His literary criticism has concentrated on poetic theory and practice. Besides editing the work of renowned poets, Zaid has promoted the work of young writers in several anthologies. In Asamblea de poetas jóvenes de México (1980), he identified a new generation of poets among the ever-increasing numbers who published in small presses and/or literary journals and supplements in the 1970s. As a cultural critic, his books, such as La economía presidencial, De los libros al poder, and Adiós al PRI, and his articles, appearing regularly in Vuelta, engage the current political debates.

See alsoLiterature: Spanish America .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

José Joaquín Blanco, "Gabriel Zaid," in his Crónica de la poesía mexicana (1983), pp. 249-255.

Julián Meza, "Autoritarismo presidencial y peticionarismo ciudadano," in Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos 448 (1987): 160-164.

Julio Ortega, "Una nota sobre Práctica Mortal de Gabriel Zaid," in Lugar de Encuentro, edited by Norma Klahn and Jesse Fernández (1989), pp. 153-156.

Additional Bibliography

González Torres, Armando, and Magali Lara. Zaid a debate. Mexico: Jus, 2005.

Zaid, Gabriel. Antologia general, edited by Eduardo Mejía and Rogelio Carvajal Dávila. Mexico: Océano, 2004.

                                            Norma Klahn