José Agustín in a photo shared by his family.RR. HH
The hours of the Mexican writer José Agustín seem to be dwindling away, as one of his sons, José Agustín Ramírez, reported on his Facebook account this Tuesday afternoon that his father received the last rites from a priest in his home. where he has been for several days. “The visit of Father José Luis, a Catholic Zapatista priest, an old friend of my father and a follower of liberation theology, after whose anointing of the sick my father said: 'My work here ends,'” he has written .
His son thanks the expressions of affection his family has received in recent months and days and assures that although his father is calm, “the emergency is not over yet”. “And without a doubt, José Agustín is one step closer to heaven, hugs to everyone, happy 2024,” he wrote this Tuesday. A few days ago, on New Year's Eve, he asked, also through his networks, for “prayers and good vibes” for his father's health: “Because the boss is quite sensitive due to the health problems that have existed for years. They tore him from the literary world. If you believe in gods or have a goodwill to share with him, you will be eternally grateful…”
José Agustín, an emblematic author, creator of works written for the first time with lightness and colloquial language and in whose pages young Mexicans of the sixties and seventies felt represented, has not been seen in public for several years, at the age of 40 he moved to the family home in Cuautla, Morelos state. Last April, after several years of silence, he resurfaced at a presentation of the new edition of his work. He was in a wheelchair but was still alert and lively. His health has been fragile since 2009, when he suffered a fall while signing some of his books in Puebla. Then the six-foot accident caused severe fractures to his skull and ribs and kept him in intensive care for more than 20 days.
Agustín is a representative of what the writer and literary critic Mago Glantz called “wave literature” – a name with which he never felt identified. He is the author of such emblematic novels as “The Tomb” (1964), which he finished writing at the age of 16 – and which was published a few years later – which marked the beginning of an extensive list with other titles such as “Inventando que Sueño ( 1968), It's Getting Late (1973), The King Approaches His Temple (1977), Deserted Cities (1982), Near the Fire (1987), Two Hours of Sunshine (1994), Life with My Widow (2004), among many others. He also wrote plays, essays, stories, screenplays and journalistic works and is the author of his autobiography entitled El rock de lacarcel.
Subscribe here Subscribe to the EL PAÍS México newsletter and receive all the important information on current events in this country