The secret life of B. Traven, Mexico’s mysterious bestseller

The antheral most-well known arsenic Bruno Traven occupies a unsocial spot successful Mexico’s literature. Although calved elsewhere, helium spent the last 45 years of his beingness successful Mexico, joined a Mexican pistillate and wrote wide astir the state — from the lipid fields of Tampico to the jungles of Chiapas — yet becoming the lone foreign-born writer accepted into Mexico’s  nationalist canon. 

As writer and esteemed world Jorge Ruiz Dueñas has noted, “There has ne'er been a lawsuit similar Traven, and not conscionable due to the fact that of the enigma astir him. He seemed to consciousness Mexico successful his ain flesh. Other foreign-born writers, specified arsenic Malcolm Lowry oregon D. H. Lawrence, person written good astir Mexico, though with a definite consciousness of detachment oregon rejection oregon mimicry. Not Traven. He doesn’t construe Mexico’s societal world and culture; helium incorporates and captures it arsenic if helium were calved here, a Mexican, with each of the feeling.”

The reasons for Traven’s fame

But Traven wasn’t lone celebrated successful Mexico. Over 30 cardinal copies of his twelve oregon truthful novels and countless abbreviated stories person been sold, and successful 30 languages. 

Several are acknowledged classics, including “The Death Ship,” “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” and “Macario.” The second 2 titles whitethorn beryllium adjacent much celebrated arsenic movies. “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, won 3 Academy Awards erstwhile it was released successful 1948, and is considered 1 of the champion Hollywood movies ever made. Its astir celebrated line, remembered (inaccurately) arsenic “We don’t request nary stinkin’ badges,” uttered by Mexican histrion Alfonso Bedoya, has passed into legend.

“Macario,” meanwhile, is simply a beloved gem from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Directed by Roberto Gavaldón, starring Ignacio López Tarso and Pina Pellicer and with cinematography from 1 of Traven’s champion friends, Gabriel Figueroa, “Macario” was the archetypal movie from Mexico ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was besides nominated for the Palme d’Or astatine the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. 

Of course, arsenic celebrated arsenic Traven was for his books and stories — and the movies they inspired, helium was adjacent much celebrated for his enigmatic life. 

He was variously known by much than 10 aliases. Seemingly, each clip thing existent was discovered astir his background, a caller enigma would appear. Even today, academics proceed to statement wherever helium was born, his commencement sanction and the timeline of his career.

A enactment of Traven’s aliases passim his life. (Libcom)

Who was B. Traven?

When iconic Hollywood histrion and manager John Huston came to Mexico to conscionable the writer of his root worldly for the filming of “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” helium was alternatively confronted, archetypal successful Mexico City, and aboriginal successful Acapulco, by a antheral named Hal Croves who claimed to beryllium Traven’s literate agent. Huston ever suspected Croves and Traven were the aforesaid man, and helium was correct. 

But Traven was neither, really, not adjacent Traven. When the writer who had penned each these classics and who had studied astatine UNAM and go a Mexican citizen nether the sanction Traven Torsvan yet died successful Mexico City successful 1969, his decease was followed by a bid of revelations astir his supposedly existent identity. 

First, his wife, Rosa Elena Luján, revealed posthumously that his existent sanction was Traven Torsvan Croves, primitively from Chicago. But this was yet different subterfuge, designed to obscure his existent individuality adjacent from the grave. He had been claiming to beryllium from the U.S. ever since helium was arrested successful London successful 1924, connected his mode to Mexico.

Soon, however, Luján admitted that her husband’s existent sanction was Ret Marut and that helium was German by birth. This was astatine slightest fractional true. 

During the archetypal decennary of the 20th century, Ret Marut was progressive arsenic an histrion and manager successful German theatrical circles, and successful the decennary that followed, helium started an anarchist mag earlier taking portion successful the ill-fated effort to found a Bavarian Soviet Republic successful 1919. 

During the crackdown successful Germany that followed, galore of the revolutionaries who participated successful this question were killed, and Marut himself was sentenced to decease earlier escaping. This incidental was ample crushed for the anonymity helium would question for the remainder of his life. 

The Jataté River successful Chiapas, wherever Traven’s ashes were scattered aft his death, per his will. (Instagram)

But, spoiler alert: Ret Marut wasn’t his existent sanction either. The antheral who would go B. Traven was, according to Figueroa, was calved Moritz Rathenau, the illegitimate lad of a affluent industrialist named Emil Rathenau, who founded the German energy elephantine AEG. 

There are different theories too. Even 50-plus years aft his death, Traven’s beingness is inactive a riddle wrapped successful a enigma wrong an enigma.

The penning beingness of B. Traven and his legacy

Despite his galore aliases and mania for privacy, it shouldn’t beryllium expected that Traven was surviving successful Mexico similar immoderate benignant of hermit. He was friends not lone with Figueroa but besides with different prominent artists of the time — including Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros — and pursuing his matrimony successful 1957, Traven acquired an adopted family. 

During his implicit 4 decades successful Mexico, helium lived successful galore parts of the country, moving from Tampico to Chiapas — the second being wherever his ashes were scattered aft his decease — past to Acapulco, earlier yet settling successful Mexico City successful his aboriginal years. 

Although fluent successful Spanish, his books were ever written archetypal successful German earlier being translated. He would sometimes grip his ain English translations with the assistance of an editor, since helium was besides fluent successful that connection — arsenic befitted idiosyncratic who liked to accidental helium was from Chicago. But the Spanish-language editions were translated archetypal by Esperanza López Mateos, sister of President Adolfo López Mateos, and aboriginal by his wife. 

It was these enduring novels and stories that Traven saw arsenic his existent legacy, and that helium considered acold much important than immoderate sanction was stamped connected his passport oregon printed connected his driving license. 

To him, they represented his life’s work, an thought helium summarized by saying: “An writer should person nary different biography than his books.”

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily.