Rodolfo Hinostroza, Peruvian poet, Died at 75

  Writer

Rodolfo Hinostroza was born on October 27, 1941, in Lima, and died on November 1, 2016.

He was a Peruvian poet, writer, journalist, food critic and astrologer.

During 1962, Hinostroza left Peru with a scholarship to study Philosophy and English Literature at the University San Cristobal of La Habana.

At the University, he wrote his first poetry book “Consejero del Lobo” published by “Editorial El Puente” in 1964.

Fed up by the way the Castro régime was using the scholarship students to his political ends, he managed to leave in 1964, after a series of intense experiences on the island, and returned to Lima.

Hinostroza worked as a script writer in the Peruvian TV for some time and then started working in journalism, among others, and joined the reputed magazine Caretas.

During 1968, Hinostroza married French born Nadine Caillière, and traveled back with her to Paris, where he lived until 1984.

Hinostroza arrived in Paris in the midst of the 1968 student turmoil which would have a direct impact on his poetry.

Hinostroza worked in several places such as the ORTF Radio, in publishing group Gallimard, as a translator for Spanish publishers like Tusquets (for whom he also translated future Nobel Prize Le Clézio, among others) and Barral.

Hinostroza won the international poetry award “Maldoror”,in 1972 with his poetry book “Contranatura”, organized by Barral Editores (Barcelona, Spain) with Octavio Paz at the head of the jury.

Other than that, he also worked with French/Peruvian tour operator “Uniclam” who entrusted him to write several tourist guides: Mexico (1976), Bolivia (1978) and Peru (1981), all published in French.

During 1979, he published “Aprendizaje de la limpieza”, a result of his seven-year psychoanalytical experience which he had started in Lima and finished in 1975 in Paris.

During 1984, he returned to Peru where he met Dutch translator Ingrid Sipkes with whom he formed a family and has three children: Cayetana (1985), Lorenzo (1989) and Ruy (1991).

Hinostroza had resumed his journalistic activities at Caretas, specializing this time in gastronomy.

He completed fifteen years of a solid French gastronomic background and pleasantly surprised by the Peruvian bounties he discovered at his return in Peru, Hinostroza has been a key driver of spreading awareness at national level of the virtues of Peruvian cuisine.

Hinostroza wrote many articles about the upcoming cuisine and Lima restaurants in newspaper La Republica, Caretas and his own gourmet restaurant guide Anfitrion, preceding the present Peruvian gastronomic revolution, from 1984 to 2006.

Rodolfo Hinostrozaalso had his own gastronomic/astrological radio program at Radio 1160 for a year and a half, together with his sister, the Peruvian cuisine chef teaching at Cordon Bleu Peru, Gloria Hinostroza.

Rodolfo Hinostroza crowned his gastronomic period publishing a luxury Peruvian cuisine book “Primicias de Cocina Peruana” (Everest, 2005) including -besides some of the best Peruvian recipes with full color photographs- a very illustrative 100 page essay about the history of Peruvian cuisine, which he claims, started in 1492, when Columbus actually arrived on South American soil looking for exotic spices.

His book was awarded three international prizes (Spanish National Gastronomic Academy in 2005 -2nd place-, Gourmand Award 2006, Latin Book Award NY 2006 -2nd place-).

During 1987, Rodolfo Hinostroza was awarded the first place in Juan Rulfo International Short Story Award for “El Benefactor”.

During 1994 he published “Fata Morgana” and in 1997 he won the national “Arte Nuevo” prize for his play “Cuadrando el Círculo”, a comedy which traveled throughout Peru and had an audience of over 75.000 viewers.

During 2001, he published his short stories book “Cuentos de Extremo Occidente” and in 2005, after a long poetic silence, “Memorial de Casa Grande”.

During June 2006, “Extensión de la Palabra” was published by Mexican group Aldus, an anthology of his poetry, theater and short stories.

Visor Editores from Spain published his “Poesía Completa”in 2007.

Rodolfo Hinostroza was granted the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, since 2009.

During July 2012, Tribal Editores published “Pararrayos de Dios”, a compendium of short chronicles where he describes a series of juicy personal experiences with some reputed deceased Peruvian poet-colleagues.

During November 2013, he was awarded the National Award of Culture 2013, Category Career, by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and PetroPeru.

Rodolfo Hinostroza passed away at 75 years old.