Who was Alfonso Reyes? Google Doodle celebrates the Mexican author

  • Mexican writer Alfonso Reyes has been celebrated in Google Doodle for May 17
  • The Visión de Anáhuac writer garnered five nominations for the Nobel Prize
  • At the age of 21, Reyes published the story La Cena, which means ‘The Supper’

Alfonso Reyes, the Mexican writer, has been honoured in the Google Doodle for May 17, 2018 on what would have been his 129th birthday.

The Google Doodle wishes the author a feliz cumpleaños by drawing attention to the mirror-like imagery that was a significant part of his surrealist piece, La Cena, which follows a circular narrative.

Specialising in Greek classic literature, Reyes continued writing until the end of his life and he garnered five nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature. But who was Alfonso Reyes?

Alfonso Reyes, the Mexican writer, has been honoured in the Google Doodle for May 17, 2018 on what would have been his 129th birthday

Alfonso Reyes, the Mexican writer, has been honoured in the Google Doodle for May 17, 2018 on what would have been his 129th birthday

Who was Alfonso Reyes?

Born on May 17, 1889 in Monterrey in the Nuevo León region of Mexico, Alfonso Reyes was born to a father who worked in the government during the time of President Porfirio Diaz was in power.

After being educated in Mexico City, Alfonso and his peers Martín Luis Guzmán and José Vasconcelos formed an association that would promote the reformation of education and represent new scholars, the Ateneo de la Juventud.

Alfonso Reyes poems and essays

At the age of 21, Reyes published his first book, Cuestiones estéticas and later, wrote the critically acclaimed short story La Cena, which can be translated as ‘The Supper’.

La Cena became one of the first and most significant works in the new age of Mexican surrealism and after its publication, Alfonso obtained a law degree.

In the same year, his father died as a result of participating in a coup against the current President, Francisco Madero and Alfonso was then posted for diplomatic service to France in 1013.

Germany’s invasion of France forced the Mexican author to move to Madrid, Spain and he pursued a career in journalism and literature.

Despite being encouraged to work in politics by friends, he stuck to writing and published a number of essays on the poetry of the Spanish Golden Age.

In 1917, he produced Cartones de Madrid, El suicida and his masterpiece, Visión de Anáhuac before collaborating with magazines.

Alfonso was reinstated in diplomatic service in the 1920s and served as the ambassador to Argentina and then Brazil, before retiring in 1939.

After editing his own literary mail called Monterrey and publishing in 1930, he spoke at conferences and went on to publish more essays and translations.

Alfonso Reyes died in Mexico City on December 27, 1959.

What is a Google Doodle?

Alfonso Reyes has been honoured in the Google Doodle for May 17, 2018 on what would have been his 129th birthday.

In the Doodle illustrated by Juan Palomino, the artist draws attention to Reyes’s most famous work La Cena and the imagery that its circular narrative creates.

In the Doodle illustrated by Juan Palomino, the artist draws attention to Reyes’s most famous work La Cena and the imagery that its circular narrative creates

In the Doodle illustrated by Juan Palomino, the artist draws attention to Reyes’s most famous work La Cena and the imagery that its circular narrative creates

Google Doodles honour internationally recognised people and mark events around the world with illustrations on the Google homepage, that are incorporated into the Google logo. 

Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google founders, marked their visit to the 1998 Burning Man Festival in California with the first ever Doodle and this was their way of letting users know they were not working that day.

Today, team of illustrators, designers, animators and artists, like Juan Palomino, work on the Google Doodles and the logos are hyperlinked to a page that provides more information about the cultural event celebrated.

Recent Google Doodles include Tamara Lempicka, Chantal Akerman and Mrinalini Sarabhai.

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