Gregorio López (writer)

Gregorio López Fuentes (17 November 1897- 10 December 1966) was a Mexican writer known for his best work A Letter to God. He was one of the leading causes of the Mexican Revolution. In his youth he spent much time in his father’s general store, where he came in contact with the Indians, farmers, and labourers of the region, whose lives he would later describe with deep insight. After unsuccessful efforts at poetry and novels, he began to draw upon his experiences in the Revolution. His first success, Campamento (1931; “Encampment”), was followed by several others dealing with aspects of the Revolution, including Tierra (1932; “Earth”), a novel about the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata; Mi general! (1934; “My General!”), a work on the lives of generals after the Revolution; and El indio (1935; “The Indian”), a fictional study of the life of Mexico’s indigenous race, his most celebrated work.[1]

Later on, he became a teacher at a school in Mexico City. In 1921 he began writing under the G.L Fuentes pseudonym. His stories were seen as exciting and humorous for the people of Mexico. A realist, many of his works oppressed Native Americans. He was a contemporary of Mariano Azuela and Martín Luis Guzmán.

He was awarded the National Prize of Arts and Sciences in 1935.