Draft:Gustavo Vazquez Lozano

Gustavo Vázquez-Lozano
Born	(1969-05-02) May 2, 1969 Aguascalientes, Mexico
Nationality	Mexican
Education	Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes Georgetown University
Occupation(s)	Writer, editor
Notable work	60 años de soledad: La vida de Carlota después del imperio mexicano (2019); El indio Victoriano (2023); La Estrella del Sur (2003).

Gustavo Vázquez-Lozano (born May 2, 1969), in Aguascalientes, Mexico, is a Mexican writer and editor. He has authored four novels, a collection of short stories, and a graphic novel, in addition to more than 30 nonfiction works. Notable among his literary works are 60 Years of Solitude: The Life of Empress Charlotte of Mexico and The Aztec Eagles: The History of the Mexican Pilots Who Fought in WWII.

Early life and education

Gustavo Vázquez-Lozano was born on May 2, 1969 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He began his career when he was 16 in Conecte, a pioneer rock magazine in Mexico, where he reviewed Rolling Stones albums. He contributed regularly as the youngest writer of the staff. In this time he also published short stories for children in local newspapers.

He studied Economics at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes. He later continued his education at CUNY and Georgetown University. After a hiatus during the high school and college years, he resumed his writing career, following a lucid nightmare, when he wrote El león de oro, his first published novel in 1996. He has often cited his nightmares as a source of inspiration. Other novels followed between 1998 and 2023.

Literary style

Vázquez-Lozano's novels delve into mystery. His characters grapple with despair, the monotony of work, magical elements, love, and betrayal. His stories explore certain nightmares and obsessions that intertwine with everyday life. El elefante que sonreía, depicting the tragedy of a decadent circus in the 1960s, "is not about abnormality or rarity, but about that abnormality displayed by those who push their passions to a dangerous limit." El antiguo enemigo, winner of the Beatriz Espejo National Short Story Prize, portrays the final hours of President Francisco Madero's life.

As a non-fiction writer, he has authored over 30 books for a general audience on world history, particularly American and Mexican history, and on the relationship between Mexico and the United States. Los últimos héroes: La historia no contada del Escuadrón 201 argues that Mexico's modest involvement in World War II through its 201st Fighter Squadron paved the way for modern diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, previously marked by hostility.

He chooses to write about marginalized historical figures. In 60 años de soledad: La vida de Carlota después del imperio mexicano, he challenges the common belief that Empress Carlota was pregnant when she left Mexico, portraying her instead as the creator of the country's first social policy. El indio Victoriano humanizes and sheds light on the historical figure of Victoriano Huerta, often regarded as the ultimate villain in Mexican history, providing insights into his internal conflicts, character, and true motivations. In Los últimos héroes: La historia no contada del Escuadrón 201, he asserts that this military group was conveniently forgotten by the state, despite their triumph extending beyond military realms into diplomacy.

As a columnist, he has contributed to various magazines such as Parteaguas, Algarabía, and Daily Chela. He also maintains a keen interest in rock music and has sporadically but passionately written about this musical genre, particularly in a biography of the Rolling Stones.

Notable Works

Fiction

• La Estrella del Sur (2003)
• El monstruo interior (2005)
• 1914: Convención de Aguascalientes (2014)
• El elefante que sonreía (2017)
• El antiguo enemigo, included in El espejo de Beatriz Anthology (2021)

• El indio Victoriano (2023)

Non-Fiction

• The Rolling Stones: Bailando con el diablo (2003)

• El siglo XX en la mirada de Antonio Arias Bernal (2007), written with Genaro Zalpa and Salvador de León Vázquez
• Todo lo que quería saber sobre los presidentes de México (2013)
• Vidas en la radio (2016), written with Juan Carlos Hidalgo
• Santa Anna: The Life of the Legendary Mexican President and General (2017)
• 60 años de soledad. La vida de Carlota después del imperio mexicano, 1867-1927 (2019)
• Mexico and the World Wars: The History of Germany’s Efforts to Involve Mexico in World Wars (2019)
• 201st Squadron: The Aztec Eagles. The History of the Mexican Pilots Who Fought in WWII (2019)
• Chapultepec: The History and Legend of the Only Real Castle in the Americas (2019)
• 60 Years of Solitude: The Life of Empress Charlotte of Mexico (2023)
• Los últimos héroes. La historia no contada del Escuadrón 201 (2024)

Awards

• Beatriz Espejo National Short-Story Award for El antiguo enemigo.
• Certamen Internacional de Literatura Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz novel prize for El elefante que sonreía.
• Finalist for the Gran Angular Prize in 2002 with La estrella del sur.
• Selection by Alas y Raíces for distribution to public school libraries of La Estrella del Sur.
• Evaluator of novels for Ph.D. students in Literary Creation at Casa Lamm.
• Induction as a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte in 2021.

External links

Gustavo Vázquez Lozano at Enciclopedia de la Literatura en México

Gustavo Vázquez Lozano at Coordinación Nacional de Literatura INBA

Gustavo Vázquez Lozano at Diccionario de Escritores Mexicanos. Filológicas, UNAM.