A short life of the author
Felisberto Hernández (1902–1964) was born on 20 October 1902 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He worked as a concert pianist, touring small towns in Uruguay and Argentina, and lived in persistent poverty for most of his life.
Life and Career
Hernández published self-funded editions of his stories in tiny print runs during the 1930s and 1940s. His fiction is unlike anything else in Latin American literature: dreamlike, obsessively detailed narratives that focus on objects, sensations, and the mysterious inner life of things. A story might be about a man’s relationship with a flooded house, or about a factory that manufactures mechanical dolls, or about the precise sensation of touching a piano key.
He was championed by Jules Supervielle, Italo Calvino, and Julio Cortázar, who called him “one of the most original writers in our literature.” Despite this, he remained obscure during his lifetime and died in poverty.
Major Works and Themes
Hernández wrote about perception, objects, memory, and the strangeness of everyday experience. His stories resist classification — they are neither realism nor surrealism but something entirely their own.
Key Works
- Piano Stories (collected)
- The Daisy Dolls (1949)
Collecting Hernández
Spanish originals are rare and sought by collectors. English translations (New Directions) bring $15–$30.