| Born in Cordoba, Argentina, in 1935. An author with an ample international training in medicine, psychoanalysis, the arts, literature, and history. "Not only have I traveled the world, but I also journeyed through different professions." He published his first book in 1963, and since then he has written eight novels, ten essay collections, four short story collections, and two biographies, which have generated enthusiasm and controversy.
All his recent books have become best-sellers. Aguinis has thousands of fans who recommend, discuss, and collect his books. He has written articles on a wide variety of topics for Latin American, U.S. and European newspapers and magazines. Marcos Aguinis has given hundreds of lectures and seminars at educational, artistic, scientific and political organizations in Germany, Spain, the U.S., Israel, Russia, Italy and practically every Latin American country.
When democracy was reinstated in Argentina in December 1983, Marcos Aguinis was designated Vice-secretary and, eventually, Secretary of Culture; in this capacity, he sponsored the renowned "cultural renaissance" that flourished in the country at the time. He created the National Program for Democratization of Culture (PRONDEC), sponsored by UNESCO and the United Nations. Mr. Aguinis promoted intense action towards participation activities aimed at raising individual awareness of the rights, duties and potentialities that a true democracy supports. His life's work was recognized with a nomination for UNESCO Education for Peace Award.
In the field of human rights, he risked his life by courageously addressing controversial issues. During the last dictatorship, the government rectricted circulation of his books, but some of them were succesfully smuggled. Many of his readers admire his prophetic vision of the arab-israeli conflict, the internal struggles within the Catholic church, the authoritarian political trends, and the resurgence of ethnic and religious fundamentalism.
Mr. Aguinis has been awarded the Planeta Award (Spain), an Honorable Commendation from the Association of Argentine Authors (Sociedad Argentina de Escritores), the Reforma Universitaria Award (La Plata University), the Fernando Jeno Award (México), the Distinguished Cultural Award (Academy of Arts and Communication Sciences, Argentina), the National Sociology Award, the Lobo de Mar Award, the Swami Pranavananda Award, the Annual Silver Plaque of the EFE Agency , awarded for his contribution to the consolidation of the Iberoamerican language and culture; in France, he was given the title of Knight of Letters and Arts. He received Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of San Luis, Argentina (2000) and Tel Aviv University, Israel (2002). In 1995 the Argentine Association of Authors awarded him the Great Honorable Award for his life's work.
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