Jesús Moraes
Encyclopedia
Jesús Moraes, Uruguayan
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

 writer, born in Bella Unión
Bella Unión
Bella Unión is a city in the north part of Artigas Department of Uruguay. It is located at the north end of Route 3, on the banks of the Uruguay River, near the mouth of Río Cuareim...

, Artigas Department
Artigas Department
The Department of Artigas , with an area of and 78,019 inhabitants, it is the northernmost department of Uruguay. Its capital is Artigas.It is named after José Artigas , leader of the orientales during the wars of Independence.-Geography and climate:Neighbouring departments are Salto to the...

, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

, who specializes in short stories.

Subject and nature of writings

As a Spanish-language 'cuentista', Moraes's writings regularly feature fantasy, religion, and the geographical north of Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

, from where he hails. Some of the religious thematic element in Moraes's work relates to his seminary background, although his theological studies did not eventually lead to a clerical vocation.

Works

'El descubrimiento' (The Discovery) is the name of one of his better known compilations.

His short story 'Los demonios de Pilar Ramírez' (The demons of Pilar Ramírez) has been made into a film.

Regional background

While Uruguayan
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

 culture, especially its 20th- and 21st century literature, is substantially secular, and based in the capital, Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...

, Moraes's work in contrast is centred upon the north of the country, and its religious overtones tend to be more overt than in the works of many other contemporary Uruguayan
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

 writers.

Along with fellow writer Circe Maia
Circe Maia
-Works:Maia has published poetry and translations.Among her better known works are an English-Spanish bilingual compilation of her poems, 'Yesterday a Eucalyptus', Amersham, UK: Brindin Press, 2001.Other of her poetry publications include:...

, he is one of the relatively few contemporary Uruguayan writers to be strongly identified with the north of the country.

Moraes's works in translation

Some of Moraes's work has been translated into Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

. Significantly for Moraes's work, the Uruguayan
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

 north shares geographical and cultural similarities with the neighbouring state of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...

, in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

-speaking Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

; and Bella Unión
Bella Unión
Bella Unión is a city in the north part of Artigas Department of Uruguay. It is located at the north end of Route 3, on the banks of the Uruguay River, near the mouth of Río Cuareim...

, the writer's hometown, is situated near to the Cuareim River, marking the border between Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

 and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

.

See also

  • Bella Uni%C3%B3n#Notable local person


  • Circe Maia#Regional background


External links

Photo:

Some of Moraes' works are accessible Online:

Re. Moraes's work translated into Portuguese:
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