Arturo Uslar Pietri
Arturo Uslar Pietri (
May 16,
1906 –
February 26,
2001) was one of the most prominent writers and intellectuals of twentieth-century
Venezuela. As a writer, journalist, diplomat, politician, government official and educator, Uslar Pietri was always a relevant figure in his country.
Born in
Caracas, Uslar Pietri was raised partly there and partly in
Maracay (State of
Aragua) where he published several short stories in youth magazines. He studied
Political Science in the
Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and shortly after moved to
Paris as a member of the Venezuelan diplomatic delegation there. In Paris he met many Latin American writers and became a good friend of
Alejo Carpentier and
Miguel Ángel Asturias. One of his most celebrated books was written during his stay in France. In
1931 he published
Las Lanzas Coloradas a historical novel set in revolutionary Venezuela.
When the 27 year long
dictatorship of
Juan Vicente Gómez ended with the Dictator's death in
1935, Uslar Pietri became very active in the political debate, writing opinion articles in the local press. One of those articles, published on
July 14,
1936 included a phrase that is still remembered and has both become an inspiration and a recrimination of Venezuela's fate as an
oil producer and exporter. The title of that article was
Sembrar el petróleo (to sow or plant oil) a metaphor he created to encourage Venezuelan leaders to invest oil wealth on
sustainable growth.
In
1939, at the age of 33 he married Isabel Braun Kerdel with whom he had two sons, Arturo (deceased) and Federico Uslar Braun. That same year he became
Minister of Education. Founded a political party
Partido Democrático Venezolano and joined the Legislative Assembly as a
Deputy in
1944. In
1945 he had been appointed Minister of the Interior. Political turmoil forced him to leave the country and move to
New York in
1948 to come back two years later and resume his political activities as a
Senator. During his stay in New York he taught at
Columbia University. In
1963 he ran for the
Venezuelan Presidency as a third party candidate but was defeated by
Raúl Leoni.
After this defeat, he stayed active in politics as a Senator but gradually distanced himself from the political fray. He became Director of the Caracas news daily
El Nacional from
1969 to
1974, when he traveled to Paris as Venezuelan Ambassador at
UNESCO. On his return in
1979, he concentrated on writing and education. He became a familiar face on
television on a weekly educational show called
Valores Humanos, a show focusing on history and the arts that he actually had started in
1953.
Uslar Pietri received many awards:
El Nacional Best Short Story Award (
1949), National Literature Award (
1952 and
1982), National Journalism Award (
1971), The
Miguel de Cervantes Hispanic-American Journalism Award (
1972),
Prince of Asturias Award (
1990),
Rómulo Gallegos Prize for Best Novel (
1991).
Arturo Uslar Pietri died in Caracas on
February 26,
2001 at the age of 94.
*
Uslar Pietri at Cervantes Virtual*
Sembrar el Petróleo, 1936*
Essays by and about Uslar Pietri
