Julio Cortázar

Julio Cortázar was born in Belgium, where his parents were involved in Argentine diplomatic work. As a young child, he lived in Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain before moving to his parents’ home country, Argentina. His father left when he was six, and he spent the remainder of his childhood with his mother and sister, frequently bed-ridden due to ill health. Cortázar first worked as an elementary school teacher and completed coursework in languages and philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires. During this time, he published a collection of sonnets, a play, and several short stories. He continued to teach at several elementary schools and eventually as a Professor of French Literature at National University of Cuyo, though was forced to leave his role upon pressure from the Peron regime. He eventually emigrated to France in 1951, where he continued to live, though he traveled broadly until his death in 1984. Most of his major works were published during his years in Paris, including short story collections like Bestiario and novels like Hopscotch. Though he lived in France, Cortázar was deeply invested in the politics of Latin America, renouncing fascist and military dictatorships and supporting communist and socialist movements in Argentina, Chile, and Cuba.