Xavier Villaurrutia

Xavier Villaurrutia y González (27 March 1903 – 25 December 1950) was a Mexican poet, playwright, translator, and literary critic whose most famous works are the short theatrical dramas called Autos profanos, compiled in the work Poesía y teatro completos, published in 1953.

Along with Salvador Novo, they founded the magazine Ulises in 1927, in which he published the novel Dama de corazones (Lady of hearts) in 1928.

The preoccupation with death in Villaurrutia's work climaxed with his 1941 play, Invitación à la muerte, the title of which can be literally translated to "Invitation to the death" (see "References" below regarding Dr. Raymond Marion Watkins's book which chronicles a history and analysis of this play, which Watkins demonstrates was heavily influenced by Villaurrutia's integration of dramatic elements traceable to William Shakespeare's "Hamlet.")

[3] Xavier Villaurrutia was greatly influenced by the work of Ramón López Velarde as well as by several other Mexican poets.

Since 1955, there has been a Xavier Villaurrutia Award for literary works published in Mexico, selected by a jury of writers.