Earlier this week one of Mexico’s greatest writers, and one of the world’s most admired champions of ideas and letters, died in Mexico City. An ardent supporter of libraries, Carlos was honored in 2001 with a Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award for his lifelong commitment to literature. The magnitude of his influence was felt when he returned to the Central Library last year for ALOUD, speaking to a truly diverse Angeleno audience that spanned generations, from children to grandparents who grew up with his work. “If the library disappears, we too will disappear. We will become ghosts,” he said when asked about the future of libraries. He saw a void in the world without libraries, and this week the world feels a void with his passing.
Carlos Fuentes with Sergio Muñoz-Bata. All photos by Gary Leonard.
Carlos will be greatly missed by our entire community for his fierce intellectual spirit and imagination, and for providing an immensely beautiful voice for humanity everywhere. Watch the video of Carlos’ conversation with journalist Sergio Muñoz-Bata:
Consider becoming a member of the Library Foundation to help strengthen the mission of the Los Angeles Public Library. As a thank you, we have a limited number of signed copies of Fuentes’ novel Destiny and Desire that you can select as part of the ALOUD bookshelf benefit when joining the Foundation at an ALOUD program at the Supporter level or higher.
You can find a range of Carlos’ work at the Los Angeles Public Library. Browse the library’s collection here.
