Jairo Aníbal Niño was a Colombian writer and directed the National Library of Colombia. He published plays, short stories, and poems. He started his career as an artist, trying his hand in painting but then turned to playwriting. He is best known in the writing world for his contributions to juvenile literature. He dedicated most of career to and most of his published works were children's literature. Jairo Aníbal Niño was a university professor, director of the National Library of Colombia, screenwriter, director of the playwriting workshop in the :es:Teatro Libre de Bogotá|Free Theatre of Bogota, and director of the theater department at National University of Colombia in Bogota. He was awarded the Colombian National Literature award in 1977.
Biography
The renowned writer Jairo Aníbal Niño was born in Boyacá, Colombia in 1941 and died in Bogotá Colombia in 2010. He passed his childhood in Moniquirá, his homeland, from which he immigrated to Bucaramanga because of the dangerous situation in his city after his father was murdered. His vocation was initially as a painter but soon changed to theater, first as an actor and later as a director and playwright. During this time period some of his works that emerged include El monte calvo, los inquilinos de la ira, el golpe de estado, and las bodas de lata, among others. Jairo Aníbal Niño's life can be seen in his work. The landscape, nature, and the economy and the history of Boyacá are his personal stamp. He writes to people who can be found in his works: workers, field laborers, students, the defenseless, and children. Most of his works were published by the Panamericana Editorial. He was the director of the National Library of Colombia until 1990. Considered a prolific writer, Jairo Aníbal Niño published various story books and poems for children. Children of all ages consider him a friend. This public figure was supported by "la niña Ire" –Irene Morales-, his wife, and three kids, Santiago, Paula, and Alejandra, to whom he frequently dedicated his work. He passed away at 68 years old, on August 30, 2010, leaving behind a piece that some critics claim as a paradigm for children's Colombian literature.
