Reacting to your 'internal universe'

“The writer needs to react to his or her own internal universe, to his or her own point of view. If he or she doesn't have a personal point of view, it's impossible to be a creator.” – Manuel Puig

Puig, who was born in Argentina on this date in 1933, was primarily a novelist, although he wrote a number of television and movie scripts, including one for his own best-selling novel Kiss of the Spider Woman.    

                               Puig’s writing style often reflected elements of his work in film and television, such as montage and the use of multiple points of view. He also made much use of popular culture in his works.   Because of his political views, he was exiled from Argentina in 1973 and spent most of the rest of his life in Mexico, where he died in 1990.

While writing for film was his first love, he found himself drawn to write fiction, something he began in the early 1960s.  “I didn't choose literature,” he said.  “Literature chose me. There was no decision on my side.   I felt the need to tell stories to understand myself. “

Since his death several of his previous screenplays have been produced, and half-dozen of his novels have been translated and reprinted in English language versions, including his first best seller, Betrayed by Rita Hayworth.    “Whenever I write, I'm always thinking of the reader,” he said.  “I allow my intuition to lead my path.”

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