Guillermo Arriaga

Guillermo Arriaga (1958, Mexico City) is an author, screenwriter and film director and producer. At thirteen, he lost his sense of smell in a street fight, which would later serve as one of the inspirations for his work. Arriaga is a born storyteller. He once stated: “If I don't tell stories, the stories come to me to grab me by the throat and literally kill me. It is part of my organism.” He is known for the award-winning films Amores perros, 21 Grams and Babel. His most recent novel Salvar el fuego was highly acclaimed. In this novel we meet Marina, dancer and choreographer, married and mother of two children. She belongs to the very privileged upper class of society. She meets José Cuauhtémoc in prison. He is serving a long prison sentence but enjoyed an excellent upbringing. A scorching love affair follows. Arriaga portrays the corruption and enormous social inequality in Mexico and the deepest contradictions of human nature. Salvar el fuego is an epic of passion, violence, and love.