Felisberto Hernández

His father, Prudencio Hernández, was from Tenerife, Canary Islands; his mother, Juana Silva, was born in Rocha, Uruguay.

Due to economic hardship, Hernández began to teach piano himself and accompany silent films at the age of 16.

By the age of 20, Hernández began to perform in public recitals, including works of his own creation on his programs.

[1] A selection of his papers is stored in the archives of American University in Washington, D.C.[2] Hernández is considered to be the forefather of magic realism, predating writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, Italo Calvino and Julio Cortázar, who all note Hernández as a major influence.

Hernández' life and work was the subject of the 2013 short film Unmistaken Hands: Ex Voto F.H by the animation filmmakers the Quay Brothers.