Origins & Early Life

Juan Nepomuceno Carlos Pérez Rulfo Vizcaíno, best known as Juan Rulfo (Spanish: [ˈxwan ˈrulfo] ; 16 May 1917 – 7 January 1986), was a Mexican writer, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for two literary works, the 1955 novel Pedro Páramo, and the collection of short stories El Llano en llamas (The Burning Plain, 1953). In spite of Rulfo's slim literary production, he is considered one of the greatest Mexican and Latin American writers of the twentieth century who has influenced many subsequent writers including the Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. Rulfo was born in 1917 in Apulco, Jalisco (disputed as being in San Gabriel, Jalisco), although he was registered at Sayula, in the home of his paternal grandfather.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Rulfo's birth year was often listed as 1918, because he had provided an inaccurate date to get into the military academy that his uncle, David Pérez Rulfo — a colonel working for the government — directed. After his father was killed in 1923 and his mother died in 1927, Rulfo's grandmother raised him in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Their extended family consisted of landowners whose fortunes were ruined by the Mexican Revolution and the Cristero...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Adolf von Baeyer — Contemporary (Died in 1917) (1917): Pioneering German chemist known for indigo synthesis and IUPAC nomenclature.
• Andrew Huxley — Contemporary (Born in 1917) (1917): Pioneering physiologist known for the action potential and sliding filament theory.
• Andrew Wyeth — Contemporary (Born in 1917) (1917): Master American Realist Painter known for regional scenes of Pennsylvania and Maine.
• Adolph Caesar — Contemporary (Died in 1986) (1986): Acclaimed American actor known for his deep voice and Off-Broadway staple status.
• Albert Szent-Györgyi — Contemporary (Died in 1986) (1986): Pioneering Hungarian biochemist, Nobel laureate for Vitamin C and muscle research.
• Alfredo Binda — Contemporary (Died in 1986) (1986): Pioneering Italian cyclist, renowned for five Giro d'Italia wins and multiple world titles.
• A. Philip Randolph — Shared historical date (05-16 · Died) (1979): Pioneer labor unionist and civil rights activist who fought for racial equality.
• Alija Sirotanović — Shared historical date (05-16 · Died) (1990): Famous Yugoslav coal miner and model worker, recognized as a Hero of Socialist Labour.
• Abd al-Rahman III — Shared historical date (01-07 · Born) (891): Founder of the Caliphate of Córdoba, a period of immense Islamic cultural zenith.
• Adolph Zukor — Shared historical date (01-07 · Born) (1873): Pioneering Hungarian-American film producer, co-founder of Paramount Pictures.
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