Mariana Frenk-Westheim
Encyclopedia
Mariana Frenk-Westheim (June 4, 1898 – June 24, 2004) was a writer
of Spanish
-Mexican
prose
, hispanist, lecturer of literature, museum
expert and one of the most important Mexican translators
.
Mariana Frenk-Westheim, a daughter of Jewish parents, was born in Hamburg
and left Germany
in 1930 together with her husband Ernst Frenk and two children and moved overseas to Mexico. After her husband's death she married Paul Westheim, an art historian
.
Her most renowned translations are those of the Mexican author, Juan Rulfo
. In 2002 she published her poems in a volume "Tausend Reime für Große und Kleime. Die Tier- und Dingwelt alphabetisch vorgestellt". During her final years Frenk-Westheim became blind
and was dependent on a wheelchair
. She died in Mexico City
.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
prose
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
, hispanist, lecturer of literature, museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
expert and one of the most important Mexican translators
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
.
Mariana Frenk-Westheim, a daughter of Jewish parents, was born in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and left Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1930 together with her husband Ernst Frenk and two children and moved overseas to Mexico. After her husband's death she married Paul Westheim, an art historian
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
.
Her most renowned translations are those of the Mexican author, Juan Rulfo
Juan Rulfo
Juan Rulfo was a Mexican author and photographer. One of Latin America's most esteemed authors, Rulfo's reputation rests on two slim books, the novel Pedro Páramo , and El Llano en llamas...
. In 2002 she published her poems in a volume "Tausend Reime für Große und Kleime. Die Tier- und Dingwelt alphabetisch vorgestellt". During her final years Frenk-Westheim became blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and was dependent on a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
. She died in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.