Kyn Taniya

The Mexican poet Kyn Taniya (A.K.A. Luis Quintanilla, 1900-1980) was born and grew up in Paris, where his father worked as a diplomat. His house was frequented by Tablada, Urbina, Apollinaire, Rodin, and his godfather, the Mexican poet Amado Nervo. He visited Mexico for the first time in 1918, and entered the foreign service in 1921, eventually serving as Mexico's Ambassador to the Soviet Union. He began writing poetry in French, which he later translated into Spanish, as in the case of his...See more

The Mexican poet Kyn Taniya (A.K.A. Luis Quintanilla, 1900-1980) was born and grew up in Paris, where his father worked as a diplomat. His house was frequented by Tablada, Urbina, Apollinaire, Rodin, and his godfather, the Mexican poet Amado Nervo. He visited Mexico for the first time in 1918, and entered the foreign service in 1921, eventually serving as Mexico's Ambassador to the Soviet Union. He began writing poetry in French, which he later translated into Spanish, as in the case of his first book, Airplane (1923). His second, Radio (1924), was his last, though he continued to write and teach as an important figure in Mexico's estridentista avant-garde. That same year he founded the Mexican Theatre of the Bat, modeled after La Chauve-Souris, which he had seen in New York City. See less