Enrique Amorim

Who was Enrique Amorim?

Enrique Amorim was an Uruguayan novelist and writer, best known for his story Las quitanderas whose plot centres on rural prostitution; also known for his left-wing politics.

Born in Salto, Uruguay, his parents were wealthy cattle ranchers. His father was from a Portuguese background, his mother Basque. Amorim travelled extensively in Europe and Latin America, developing acquaintanceships and friendships with many of the leading literary figures of his time. He eventually had a house built in Salto, designed by Le Corbusier.

In the 1920s Amorim wrote for the Argentinian leftist magazine Los Pensadores and published with the press Claridad, both associated with the left-leaning Buenos Aires-based Boedo group. In 1947 Amorim officially joined the Communist Party of Uruguay. He was also responsible for the erection of a monument in Salto to commemorate Federico García Lorca, the poet and playwright killed by Francisco Franco's forces in the opening weeks of the Spanish Civil War.