Carlos Thorne Boas
Encyclopedia
Carlos Thorne is a Peru
vian novelist, writer and lawyer. He is regarded as one of the most original and innovative Peruvian writers of the second half of the 20th century. This is due to his unique blend of avant garde flashback techniques, following Malcolm Lowry
and James Joyce
, with historical detail and accuracy, to the point of reproducing the Spanish
of the Conquistadores.
, where he studied law and philosophy. After a successful career as lawyer and some excursions into politics, he decided to devote his life to literature and academic research, writing books and becoming professor in law at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos de Lima (UNMSM), the oldest in the Americas
. He has been visiting lecturer both in literature and law in the universities of Columbia, Salamanca, Uppsala, King's College London, Liverpool and Complutense.
Perhaps his best known contribution to Latin American novel is his Peruvian trilogy. Papá Lucas (1987), a novel centered on the war against Chile
in the 1880s. Next, El señor de Lunahaná (1994), which is devoted to the wars of independence from the 1810s and 1820s. Finally, El encomendero de la adarga de plata (1999), the most experimental of the three, is a powerful evocation of the Spanish conquest written in 17th century Spanish and set during the Inca siege of Cuzco in 1536. In his books the reader gets caught from the first pages in a world of wonder, passion and violence of a strange beauty and poetry. As such, he is seen by his peers and by the critics as on a par to Alejo Carpentier
and Gabriel García Marquez
and thus as one of the main living exponents of the "real maravilloso" (Magic realism
) Latin American novel tradition and of the Latin American historical novel. Viva la república (1981), his first novel, is a highly achieved satire of the Peruvian military dictators of the 1970s that he passionately opposed.
Papá Lucas (1987).
El señor de Lunahaná (1994).
El encomendero de la adarga de plata (1999).
Mañana Mao (1974, short stories).
Páginas de extramuros (1993, essays).
El hilo de la razón (1995, essays).
Los oficios de la lengua (2001, essays).
En las fauces de las fieras (2004, short stories)
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian novelist, writer and lawyer. He is regarded as one of the most original and innovative Peruvian writers of the second half of the 20th century. This is due to his unique blend of avant garde flashback techniques, following Malcolm Lowry
Malcolm Lowry
Clarence Malcolm Lowry was an English poet and novelist who was best known for his novel Under the Volcano, which was voted No. 11 in the Modern Library 100 Best Novels list.-Biography:...
and James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, with historical detail and accuracy, to the point of reproducing the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
of the Conquistadores.
Life and works
Thorne was born in LimaLima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, where he studied law and philosophy. After a successful career as lawyer and some excursions into politics, he decided to devote his life to literature and academic research, writing books and becoming professor in law at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos de Lima (UNMSM), the oldest in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. He has been visiting lecturer both in literature and law in the universities of Columbia, Salamanca, Uppsala, King's College London, Liverpool and Complutense.
Perhaps his best known contribution to Latin American novel is his Peruvian trilogy. Papá Lucas (1987), a novel centered on the war against Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
in the 1880s. Next, El señor de Lunahaná (1994), which is devoted to the wars of independence from the 1810s and 1820s. Finally, El encomendero de la adarga de plata (1999), the most experimental of the three, is a powerful evocation of the Spanish conquest written in 17th century Spanish and set during the Inca siege of Cuzco in 1536. In his books the reader gets caught from the first pages in a world of wonder, passion and violence of a strange beauty and poetry. As such, he is seen by his peers and by the critics as on a par to Alejo Carpentier
Alejo Carpentier
Alejo Carpentier y Valmont was a Cuban novelist, essayist, and musicologist who greatly influenced Latin American literature during its famous "boom" period. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Carpentier grew up in Havana, Cuba; and despite his European birthplace, Carpentier strongly self-identified...
and Gabriel García Marquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
and thus as one of the main living exponents of the "real maravilloso" (Magic realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
) Latin American novel tradition and of the Latin American historical novel. Viva la república (1981), his first novel, is a highly achieved satire of the Peruvian military dictators of the 1970s that he passionately opposed.
Novels
Viva la república (1981).Papá Lucas (1987).
El señor de Lunahaná (1994).
El encomendero de la adarga de plata (1999).
Other writings
Los días fáciles (1959, short stories).Mañana Mao (1974, short stories).
Páginas de extramuros (1993, essays).
El hilo de la razón (1995, essays).
Los oficios de la lengua (2001, essays).
En las fauces de las fieras (2004, short stories)