1900–1955 The inception of the
Mexican Revolution favored the growth of the journalistic genre. Once the civil conflict ended, the theme of the Revolution appeared as a theme in novels, stories and plays by
Mariano Azuela and
Rodolfo Usigli. This tendency would anticipate the flowering of a nationalist literature, which took shape in the works of writers such as
Rosario Castellanos and
Juan Rulfo. There also appeared on the scene an "indigenous literature," which purported to depict the life and thought of the indigenous peoples of Mexico, although, ironically, none of the authors of this movement were indigenous. Among them Ricardo Pozas and
Francisco Rojas Gonzalez stand out. There also developed less mainstream movements such as that of the "
Estridentistas", with figures that include
Arqueles Vela and
Manuel Maples Arce (1920s). Other literary movements include that of
Los Contemporáneos, which was represented by writers like
Salvador Novo,
Xavier Villaurrutia and
José Gorostiza. Towards the end of the 20th century Mexican literature had become diversified in themes, styles and genres. In 1990
Octavio Paz became the first Mexican—and up until this point the only one—to win the
Nobel Prize for Literature. In the years between 1900 and 1914 it continued to dominate modernism in poetry and prose realism and naturalism. During this period lived representatives 19th-century literature with members of the Ateneo´s youth. From 1915 to 1930 there were three streams: a stylistic renewal incorporating influences from the European vanguard (the
estridentismo (Manuel Maples Arce, German List Arzubide, Arqueles Vela) and Contemporaries), a group of writers resumed colonial subjects (
Xavier Villaurrutia,
Jaime Torres Bodet,
Jorge Cuesta,
José Gorostiza,
Salvador Novo), and others who began publishing calls "novels of the Revolution "(the best known is
the Underdogs of
Mariano Azuela):
Martin Luis Guzman,
Rafael Muñoz, Heriberto Frías, Jorge Ferretis,
Nellie Campobello. Until the mid-1940s there were authors who continued realistic narrative, but also reached their peak the indigenista novel and reflections involved around on self and national culture. Emerged two new poetic generations, grouped around the magazines
Taller y Tierra Nueva. With the publication of
Agustín Yáñez's
Al filo del agua in 1947 began what we call "contemporary Mexican novel" incorporating innovative techniques, influences of American writers such as (
William Faulkner and
John Dos Passos), and European influences from (
James Joyce and
Franz Kafka), and in 1963, the hitherto known for his articles in newspapers and magazines and its beautiful theater
Elena Garro, published which became the initiator of the
boom Latin American and founder of the genre known as "magical realism": the novel
Recollections of Things to Come , which inspired the Colombian
Gabriel García Márquez to write his most celebrated
One Hundred Years of Solitude. While during the period from 1947 to 1961 predominated the narrators (Arreola, Rulfo, Fuentes), then emerged poets worth as
Rubén Bonifaz Nuño and
Rosario Castellanos (also narrator).
The Lake House Generation Like his colleagues of the
Rupture movement (Spanish:
Ruptura), the writers associated with the
Lake House Generation (Spanish:
Generación de la Casa del Lago) or the
Mexican Literature Review generation (Spanish:
Revista Mexicana de Literatura) sought to move away from nationalist sentiment and indigenist literature toward a more universal literary expression. Their principal influences included earlier Mexican intellectual movements that had also promoted broader artistic perspectives, such as the
Ateneo de la Juventud (
Athenaeum of Youth), contemporary authors, and the so-called
Workshop Generation (Spanish:
Generación Taller). There is no precise date that can be defined as the beginning of this movement; however, 1956 was a crucial year for this group of artists, as it marked the publication of
Octavio Paz's essay
The Bow and the Lyre (Spanish:
El arco y la lira), which addressed the nature of writing, poetry, and the novel, as well as the mystical vocation of literature and the sacred and mysterious dimensions of art. This work was highly influential for the writers of the Lake House Generation, as it helped define the qualities they sought to convey in their own works.
José Emilio Pacheco considered 1958 another key year for these intellectuals, marked by the publication of
Carlos Fuentes' novel
Where the Air Is Clear (Spanish:
La región más transparente), widely regarded as the first formal urban novel in Mexican literature. A factor that contributed to the cohesion of the authors associated with this movement was their participation in various cultural institutions, supported by
Jaime García Terrés, who served as Director of Cultural Diffusion at the National Autonomous University of Mexico from 1953 to 1965. The consolidation of this generation was closely linked to the founding of the
Casa del Lago in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City. Its first director,
Juan José Arreola, brought together a group of artists who significantly reshaped the cultural landscape of the period. Within this space, experimentation flourished, dominant artistic forms across disciplines were challenged, and new boundaries were explored. The university venue in Chapultepec thus became a key reference point for emerging art and a center for engagement with international artistic developments.
1960–present In 1960 an anthology was edited
La espiga amotinada, which brought together the major group of poets: Juan Banuelos, Oscar Oliva, Jaime Augusto Shelley, Eraclius Zepeda and Jaime Labastida. Literary magazines were one of the main vehicles for disseminating the writers, so they tend to group many of them under the name of the journals in which they were active.
The Prodigal Son was directed by Xavier Villaurrutia, the group
Los Contemporaneos who had Octavio Paz as a coolaborador. Octavio Paz, after leaving founded the newspaper
Excelsior, a magazine called
Vuelta, which led for many years the national culture, mainly after the death of Martin Luis Guzman in 1976. After the death of Octavio Paz, a group of his contributors tried to start a magazine, but the fledgling magazine,
Letras libres, failed to have the acceptance of
Vuelta. In 1979,
Gabriel Zaid made a census of poets published in his anthology
Assembly of young poets of Mexico; among those who were included, there were poets as
Eduardo Hurtado,
Alberto Blanco,
Coral Bracho,
Eduardo Casar, Eduardo Langagne, Manuel Ulacia, Vicente Quirarte, Victor Manuel Mendiola,
Dante Medina, Veronica Volkow, Pearl Schwartz, Jaime Moreno Villarreal and Francisco Segovia. These and the other authors included are those who currently make up the group of authors at the peak of his literary career. Most worked in
Vuelta. Present-day notable Mexican poets include
Elsa Cross and Efraín Bartolomé. Influenced by the mass media, social networks, and the Internet, the generation born in the 80s and 90s exhibits a strong inclination towards literature, which finds expression in various digital and print media platforms, such as blogs, internet pages, digital and printed magazines, and electronic books. The impact of this generation on the literary landscape is still challenging to trace. Nonetheless, their presence is evident through the emergence of literary creation schools established in recent decades, including Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana (UCSJ), Casa Lamm, Centro Morelense de las Artes (CMA), Sociedad General de Escritores de México (Sogem), and Escuela Mexicana de Escritores (EME). Within this vast and dynamic generation of young and prolific writers, certain individuals have garnered attention for their literary contributions. Among them are Fernanda Melchor, Mercedes Alvarado, Martín Rangel, Aldo Vicencio, Davo Valdez, Iván Cruz, Juan Andrés Herrera, Víctor Ibarra (known by their pseudonyms Genkidama Ñu and Vraiux Dorós), Tania Carrera, Joana Medellín Herrero, Tania Langarica, Itzel Nayelli Palacios, Andrea Chaves, Rojo Córdova, Yaxkin Melchy, Karlos Atl, and many others. While the full extent of their impact is yet to be determined, these individuals represent the active and visible facet of this vast generation of aspiring writers
Essayists •
Jorge Cuesta (1903–1942) •
Germán Dehesa (1944–2010) •
Ricardo Garibay (1923–1999) •
Margo Glantz (1930–) •
Manuel Hernández Gómez (1950–) • Hugo Hiriart (1942–) •
Carlos Monsivais (1938–2010) •
Octavio Paz (1914–1998) • Óscar René Cruz Oliva (1933–) •
Sergio Pitol (1933–2018) •
Elena Poniatowska (1932–) • Vicente Quirarte (1954–) •
Alfonso Reyes (1889–1959) • Guillermo Samperio (1948–) •
Sara Sefchovich (1949–) • Carlos J. Sierra (1933–) •
Gabriel Zaid (1934–)
Novelists and short story writers • Abraham Nissan (1969–) • Andres Acosta (1964–) •
José Agustín (1944–) • Homer Aridjis (1940–) •
Inés Arredondo (1928–1989) •
Juan José Arreola (1918–2001) •
René Avilés Fabila (1940–) • René Avilés Rojas (1911–1979) •
Mariano Azuela (1873–1952) • Mario Bellatín (1960–) • Carmen Boulton (1954–) • Juan de la Cabada Vera (1901–1986) •
Nellie Campobello (1900–1986) •
Rosario Castellanos (1925–1974) • José de la Colina (1934) •
Alberto Chimal (1970) • Leonardo Da Jandra (1951–) •
Amparo Dávila (1928) •
Guadalupe Dueñas (1920–2002) •
Salvador Elizondo (1932–2006) • Beatriz Mirror •
Laura Esquivel (1950–) • William Fadanelli (1963–) • J. M. Servin (1962) • Bernardo Fernández • Jorge Ferretis (1902–1962) • Heriberto Frías (1870–1925) •
Carlos Fuentes (1928–2012) •
Sergio Galindo (1926-1993) •
Juan García Ponce (1932–2003) • Parmenides García Saldaña (1944–1982) •
Jesus Gardea (1939–2000) •
Ricardo Garibay (1923–1999) •
Elena Garro (1916–1998) •
José Luis González (1926) •
Martin Luis Guzman (1887–1977) •
Andrés Henestrosa (1906–2008) •
Yuri Herrera (1970–) •
Jorge Ibargüengoitia (1928–1983) • Xavier Icaza (1892–1969) •
Patricia Laurent Kullick (1962–) •
Monica Lavin (1955–) • Alfredo Lèal (1985) •
Vicente Leñero (1933–2014) •
Valeria Luiselli (1983–) •
Mauricio Magdaleno (1906–1986) •
Ángeles Mastretta (1949–) •
Elmer Mendoza (1949–) • Miguel Angel Menendez Reyes (1904–1982) • Thomas Mojarro (1932) •
Rafael Muñoz (1899–1972) •
Gilberto Owen (1904–1952) •
José Emilio Pacheco (1939–2014) •
Fernando del Paso (1935–2018) •
Sergio Pitol (1933-2018) •
Gerardo Horacio Porcayo (1966–) •
Maria Luisa Puga (1944–2004) • Rafael Ramírez Heredia (1942–2006) •
Cristina Rivera Garza (1964–) • Sergio-Jesús Rodríguez (1967) • Octavio Rodriguez Araujo (1941) •
José Revueltas (1914–1976) • Martha Robles (1949–) •
Bernardo Ruiz (1953–) •
Juan Rulfo (1918–1986) •
Rafael Saavedra (1967–2013) •
Daniel Sada (1953–2011) •
Alberto Ruy Sanchez (1951) •
Gustavo Sainz (1940) • Guillermo Samperio (1948–) • Federico Schaffler • Mauricio-José Schwarz (1955–) •
Enrique Serna (1959–) • Jordi Soler (writer)|Jordi Soler (1963–) • Gerardo de la Torre (1938) • David Toscana (1961–) • Juan Tovar (1941) • Elman Trevizo (1981) •
Gabriel Trujillo • Edmundo Valadés (1915–1994) •
Arqueles Vela (1899–1977) •
Xavier Velasco (1964–) •
Juan Pablo Villalobos (1973–) •
Juan Villoro (1956–) •
Josefina Vicens (1911–1988) • Janitzio Villamar (1969–) •
Jorge Volpi (1968) •
Agustín Yáñez (1904–1980) • José Luis Zárate (1966–) • Eraclius Zepeda (1937) • Gerardo Arana (1987–2012)
Poets •
Griselda Álvarez (1913–2009) •
Guadalupe Amor (1918–2000) •
Homero Aridjis (1940–) •
List Germán Arzubide (1898–1998) •
Juan Banuelos (1932–) •
Efraín Bartolomé (1950–) •
José Carlos Becerra (1936–1970) •
Abigael Bohórquez (1936–1995) •
Rubén Bonifaz Nuño (1923–2013) •
Andrés Castuera-Micher (1976) •
Alí Chumacero (1918– 2010) •
Óscar Cortés Tapia (1960–) •
Jorge Cuesta (1903–1942) •
Gerardo Deniz (1934–2014) •
José Gorostiza (1901–1973) •
Daniel Gutiérrez Pedreiro (1964–) •
Francisco Hernández (1946–) •
Efraín Huerta (1914–1982) •
David Huerta (1949–) •
Martín Jiménez Serrano (1967) •
Jaime Labastida (1939–) •
Ricardo López Méndez (1903–1989) •
Tedi López Mills (1959–) •
Manuel Maples Arce (1898–1981) •
Yaxkin Melchy Ramos (1985–) •
Carmen Mondragón "Nahui Olin" (1893–1978) •
Marco Antonio Montes de Oca (1932–2008) •
Oscar Oliva (1938–) •
José Emilio Pacheco (1939–2014) • , (1939–2014) •
Octavio Paz (1914–1998) •
Carlos Pellicer (1899–1977) •
Jaime Sabines (1926–1999) •
Jaime Augusto Shelley (1937) •
Javier Sicilia (1956–) •
Concha Urquiza (1910–1945) •
Xavier Villaurrutia (1903–1950) •
Eraclio Zepeda (1937–2015)
Playwrights • (1932–2003) •
Homer Aridjis (1940–) •
Luis G. Basurto (1920–1990) •
Sabina Berman (1955–) •
Emilio Carballido (1925–2008) •
Andrés Castuera-Micher (1976) •
Elena Garro (1916–1998) •
Ricardo Garibay (1923–1999) •
Miguel Ángel Tenorio (1954–1) •
Luisa Josefina Hernandez (1928–) •
Vicente Leñero (1933–) •
Oscar Liera (1946–1990) •
Carlos Olmos (1947–2003) •
José Lorenzo Canchola (1962–) •
Victor Hugo Rascon Banda (1948–2008) •
Guillermo Schmidhuber (1943–) •
Juan Tovar (1941–) •
Luis Mario Moncada (1963–) •
Rodolfo Usigli (1905–1980) •
Xavier Villaurrutia (1903–1951)
Historians •
Alfonso Junco •
Carlos Antonio Aguirre Rojas (1954–) •
Carlos Pereyra •
Carlos Alvear Acevedo •
Eduardo Blanquel •
Guillermo Bonfil Batalla (1935–1991) •
Victor Manuel Castillo Farreras (1932–) •
Daniel Cosio Villegas (1898–1976) •
Martha Fernandez •
Mariano Cuevas •
José Fuentes Mares (1918–1986) •
Adolfo Gilly •
Pilar Gonzalbo Aizpuru •
Lucas Alamán •
Luis González y González (1925–2003) •
Luis González Obregón •
Enrique Krauze (1947–) •
Miguel León-Portilla (1926–) •
Alfredo López Austin (1936–) •
Leonardo López Luján (1964–) •
Jorge Alberto Manrique •
Francisco Martin Moreno (1946–) •
Álvaro Matute Aguirre •
Margarita Menegus •
Alfonso Mendiola •
Jean Meyer (1942–) •
Lorenzo Meyer (1942–) •
Juan Miralles (1930–2011) •
Moguel Josefina Flores (1952–) •
Edmundo O'Gorman (1906–1995) •
Héctor Pérez Martínez (1906–1948) •
Constantino Reyes-Valerio (1922–2006) •
Antonio Rubial •
Rafael Tovar y de Teresa •
Guillermo Tovar y de Teresa •
Paco Ignacio Taibo II •
Cristina Pacheco Torales •
Elisa Vargas Lugo •
Bolívar Zapata •
José David Gamboa •
Vito Alessio Robles ==Chronology==