Laura Esquivel

Eric Skipper (University of South Carolina)
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Born in 1950 in Mexico City, Mexico, Laura Esquivel was a kindergarten teacher before becoming a professional writer. Her work in a theater workshop for children led her to create her own material. She wrote for television programs in the 1970s and 1980s; her husband at the time, the film director Alfonso Arau, encouraged her to turn her attentions to cinema. While the premise for

Como agua para chocolate

(1989), Esquivel’s most successful work, was originally intended for film, budgetary concerns for a period film led her to try the novel form. While Esquivel was born into a Catholic family, religious education was not strict. The writer’s belief in the “law of love” avails itself abundantly in her work.

Esquivel is best known for her novel/ cookbook Como agua para chocolate:

1320 words

Citation: Skipper, Eric. "Laura Esquivel". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 December 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12574, accessed 21 November 2024.]

12574 Laura Esquivel 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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