Aquiles Nazoa

Who was Aquiles Nazoa?

Aquiles Nazoa was a Venezuelan writer, journalist, poet and humorist. His work expressed the values of popular Venezuelan culture.

He worked in the newspaper El Universal as a packer, later becoming a proof-reader. He had also begun to read English and French which allowed him to work simultaneously as a tourist guide in the Museo de Bellas Artes. He became the correspondent of El Universal in Puerto Cabello and was arrested in 1940 for defamation and slanderous allegations when criticising the Municipal authorities.

He worked in Tropical Radio, had a column in El Universal entitled Punta de lanza, and was reporter for the newspaper Últimas Noticias. He collaborated in the weekly magazine El Morrocoy Azul and the newspaper El Nacional. He wrote for the Colombian magazine, Sábado and lived a year in Cuba. In 1945, he became editor of the magazine Fantoches. In 1956, he was expelled from the country by the regime of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, but returned in 1958.

In 1948, Nazoa obtained the Premio Nacional de Periodismo in the humour and customs section. He was also awarded the Premio Municipal de Literatura del Distrito Federal in 1967.