Otto René Castillo
Encyclopedia
Otto René Castillo was a Guatemala
n poet
and revolutionary
.
in 1934 to middle-class parents. Active in progressive politics as a high school student, Castillo went into exile in El Salvador
in 1954 after the overthrow of Guatemalan President
Jacobo Arbenz by a Central Intelligence Agency
-orchestrated coup d'etat
.
In El Salvador, Castillo met Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton
and founded an influential literary circle. He spent the next several years in and out of exile, including a period of time spent in East Germany at the University of Leipzig
.
, where he served as the chief of propaganda and education. After operating in the Sierra de las Minas
for several months, he was captured by government forces and taken to Zacapa
barracks alongside his comrade, Nora Paíz Cárcamo in March 1967. There they were interrogated, tortured, and immolated.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
.
Early life and activism
Castillo was born in QuetzaltenangoQuetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
in 1934 to middle-class parents. Active in progressive politics as a high school student, Castillo went into exile in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
in 1954 after the overthrow of Guatemalan President
President of Guatemala
The title of President of Guatemala has been the usual title of the leader of Guatemala since 1839, when that title was assumed by Mariano Rivera Paz...
Jacobo Arbenz by a Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
-orchestrated coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
.
"In [1954], US intervention put an end to the Guatemalan democratic experiment, and the country's cultural leaders fled into exile."
In El Salvador, Castillo met Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton
Roque Dalton
Roque Dalton García was a Salvadoran poet and journalist. He is considered one of Latin America's most compelling poets...
and founded an influential literary circle. He spent the next several years in and out of exile, including a period of time spent in East Germany at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
.
A handful of younger writers—those who were just beginning to publish or had not yet done so—headed for El Salvador, joining up with young Salvadorans sharing the same concerns. The Salvadorans had already gathered around the most charismatic figure among them: Roque Dalton. ... One of the recently arrived Guatemalans, Otto Rene Castillo, quickly captured Dalton's attention and became the group's ideologue. During the 1960s, these young writers joined up in Mexico with the group of writers that had left Guatemala in 1954.
Publications and death
The early to mid-1960s saw the publication of the only two volumes of work put into print during Castillo's lifetime, Poema Tecún Umán and Vámonos patria a caminar. In 1966, he clandestinely returned to Guatemala and joined the guerrilla struggle with the Rebel Armed ForcesRebel Armed Forces
The Rebel Armed Forces was a Guatemalan guerrilla organization established in 1961 and lasting until the peace agreements in 1996.FAR is most significantly known for having killed the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, John Gordon Mein, in 1968. Also killed that year were two U.S...
, where he served as the chief of propaganda and education. After operating in the Sierra de las Minas
Sierra de las Minas
Sierra de las Minas is a mountain range in eastern Guatemala, extending 130 km west of the Lake Izabal. It is 15–30 km wide and bordered by the valleys of the rivers Polochic in the north and the Motagua in the south. Its western border is marked by the Salamá River valley which separates it...
for several months, he was captured by government forces and taken to Zacapa
Zacapa
Zacapa is a city in eastern Guatemala, along the Río Grande de Zacapa. It is renowned locally for its manual crafting of cigars, hard dry cheese and a flavored cake made with said cheese ....
barracks alongside his comrade, Nora Paíz Cárcamo in March 1967. There they were interrogated, tortured, and immolated.
"In March 1967 Otto Rene Castillo was captured, tortured for four days, and burned alive."