Andrés Caicedo

[Daniel del Real]

Andr?s Caicedo

Currently reading his only completed novel ?Qu? Viva la M?sica!. There's a lot of mistery involving this author, mainly because of his decision to die before his 25th birthday. Despite his early death, he was able to wrote three novels, two unfinished, and many short stories. I don't think he was ever translated to English, but he has been re-discovered by the new generation of writers in Latin America as an influence for many of them.
One of the early opponents for the Magical Realism, Caicedo's figure prevails as a precursor of the new Latin American literature created afther the boom.

Luis Andr?s Caicedo Estela (29 September 1951 - 4 March 1977) was a Colombian writer born in Cali, the city where he would be the most part of his life. Inspite of his early death, his work is considered one of the most original of the Colombian literature.

Caicedo leaded different cultural movements in the city like the literary group "Los Dialogantes" (Those who speak), the Cinema Club of Cali and the "Ojo con el Cine" Magazine (Attention to the Cinema). In 1970 he won the First Literary Contents of Caracas with his work "Los dientes de caperucita" (The Teeth of Little Red Riding Hood) that opened to him the doors to a national recognition. Some sources say that he used to say that to live more than 25 years was a shame and it is seen as the main reason of his suicide on March 4, 1977 when he was that age.

The work of Caicedo has as a context the urban world and its social conflicts, especially of the young people. Contrary to the school of magic realism, the work of Caicedo is settled completely in social reality. Therefore, some scholars give the importance to his work as an alternative in Latin America to prominent figures such as Gabriel Garc?a M?rquez, especially through the research of the Chilean journalist, writer and movie critic Alberto Fuguet who called Caicedo "The first enemy of Macondo". Despite his fame in Colombia, Caicedo is little known in Latin America, maybe for his early death.

It was in his novel "?Qu? viva la m?sica" that Caicedo mentioned that to live more than 25 years of age was madness and he was loyal to what he said then on March 4, 1977. In the afternoon he died, he received a volume of his recently published book "Qu? viva la m?sica!" and wrote a letter to his friend Miguel Mar?as where he mentioned that his woman just left him for a reason he did not know. Then he took 60 pills of secobarbital.