Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 10/15/98
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   56

Editors: Photo accompanies release
LATIN AMERICAN NOVELIST CARLOS FUENTES TO APPEAR AT SLU NOV. 9
     HAMMOND -- Legendary Latin-American novelist Carlos Fuentes will present a free
lecture at Southeastern Louisiana University on November 9.
     Fuentes, who has been called "a one-man international cultural and political force," will
speak on "The Creative Spirit as a Force for Humanism" at 10 a.m. at Southeastern's University
Center, 700 W. University Ave. in Hammond.
     His guest appearance is the center point of Southeastern's annual International Festival, a
week-long program of lectures, exhibits, cultural displays, theater and music programs
highlighting global diversity. The International Festival, organized by Southeastern's foreign
languages and literatures department and Cultural Resource Management Program, is scheduled
for November 2-9. 
     Margaret Marshall, head of the foreign languages and literatures department, said
Southeastern is honored to host a visit by one of Latin America's most distinguished novelists.
     "Southeastern is one of 200 American universities who have asked Mr. Fuentes to come
to their campuses this year," Marshall said. "We are extremely excited and honored that he
accepted our invitation." Fuentes will be accompanied by Mexican Ambassador Augustine
Garcia-Lopez, as well as a number of other Latin American diplomatic representatives based in 
New Orleans.
     Born in 1928, Fuentes lived as a youth and teenager in Washington, D.C., Argentina and
Chile, as well as his native Mexico. His experiences have given him an intimate knowledge of
Americans and a unique hemispheric perspective and literary voice.
     His prolific, eclectic fiction ranges from political spy thrillers ("The Hydra Head") to 
erotic ghost stories ("Aura") to caustic indictments of the Mexican revolution ("The Death of
Artemio Cruz"). His novel, "Old Gringo," was the first by a Mexican author to become a best-
seller in the United States. The movie version, starring Jane Fonda and Gregory Peck, increased
Fuentes  fame in this country.
     In 1992, Fuentes wrote "The Buried Mirror" and narrated a five-hour Discovery Channel
television series based on the work. The book and series embrace a comprehensive history of the
Hispanic world on both sides of the Atlantic and provide an understanding of the economic,
political and cultural changes facing the United State's growing Hispanic population.
     In connection with Fuentes' November 9 visit, the foreign languages and literatures
department will show the five installments of  "The Buried Mirror" each Wednesday through
Nov. 11 at 3:15 p.m. in White Hall, Room 210. The series began on October 14. 
     Celebrated around the world as a leading literary figures, Fuentes has won Mexico's
premier National Prize for Literature, Spain's Miguel de Cervantes Prize and France's Legion of
Honor. He holds honorary degrees from some of the world s most prestigious universities,
including Harvard, Cambridge and Dartmouth. 
     Fuentes has served as Mexico's Ambassador to France and was an active participant in
peace efforts in Central America. He currently is a member of Mexico's National Commission on
Human Rights.
     His most recent works include "The Crystal Frontier" (1997), "A New Time for Mexico"
(1996) and "Diana: The Goddess Who Hunts Alone" (1995).
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