Antonio Skármeta
Encyclopedia
Antonio Skármeta is a Chile
an writer, born November 7, 1940 in Antofagasta
, Chile. He was born to Croatian
immigrants from the Adriatic island of Brač, region of Dalmatia
.
His 1985 novel and film Ardiente paciencia
("Ardent Patience") inspired the 1994 Academy Award-winning movie, Il Postino
(The Postman). Subsequent editions of the book bore the title El cartero de Neruda (Neruda's Postman). His fiction has since received dozens of awards and has been translated into nearly thirty languages worldwide.
Skármeta studied philosophy and literature both in Chile and at Columbia University
in New York. From 1967 to 1973, the year he left Chile (first to Buenos Aires and later to West Berlin), he taught literature at the University of Chile.
In 1987, he was a member of the jury at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival
.
In 1989, after the end of Pinochet’s military dictatorship, the writer returned to Chile in order "to create political space for freedom". He hosted a television program on literature and the arts, which regularly attracted over a million viewers.
From 2000 to 2003 he served as the Chilean ambassador in Germany
.
He teaches classes at Colorado College
both in Santiago
, and Colorado Springs.
In 2011 his novel Los días del arco iris won the prestigious Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa
, one of the richest literary prizes in the world worth $200,000.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an writer, born November 7, 1940 in Antofagasta
Antofagasta
Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2002 census, the city has a population of 296,905...
, Chile. He was born to Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
immigrants from the Adriatic island of Brač, region of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
.
His 1985 novel and film Ardiente paciencia
Ardiente paciencia
Ardiente Paciencia, or El Cartero De Neruda, is a 1983 novel by Antonio Skármeta. The novel was published in the English market under the title The Postman...
("Ardent Patience") inspired the 1994 Academy Award-winning movie, Il Postino
Il Postino
Il Postino is a 1994 Italian film directed by Michael Radford. The film was originally released in the U.S. as The Postman, a straight translation of the Italian title...
(The Postman). Subsequent editions of the book bore the title El cartero de Neruda (Neruda's Postman). His fiction has since received dozens of awards and has been translated into nearly thirty languages worldwide.
Skármeta studied philosophy and literature both in Chile and at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York. From 1967 to 1973, the year he left Chile (first to Buenos Aires and later to West Berlin), he taught literature at the University of Chile.
In 1987, he was a member of the jury at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival
37th Berlin International Film Festival
The 37th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 20 February to 3 March 1987.-Jury:* Klaus Maria Brandauer * Juliet Berto* Kathleen Carroll* Callisto Cosulich* Victor Dyomin* Reinhard Hauff* Edmund Luft* Jiří Menzel...
.
In 1989, after the end of Pinochet’s military dictatorship, the writer returned to Chile in order "to create political space for freedom". He hosted a television program on literature and the arts, which regularly attracted over a million viewers.
From 2000 to 2003 he served as the Chilean ambassador in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
He teaches classes at Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
both in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, and Colorado Springs.
In 2011 his novel Los días del arco iris won the prestigious Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa
Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa
Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa is a Latin American Spanish language literary award. The winner receives USD $200,000 making it one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
, one of the richest literary prizes in the world worth $200,000.
Works
- El entusiasmo, 1967.
- Desnudo en el tejado, 1969.
- Tiro libre, 1973.
- Soñé que la nieve ardía, 1975.
- Novios solitarios, 1975.
- No paso nada, 1980.
- La insurrección, 1982.
- El cartero de Neruda, 1985.
- Matchball, 1989.
- La composición, 1998.
- La boda del poeta, 1999.
- La chica del trombón, 2001.
- El baile de la victoria, 2003.
- Los días del arco iris, 2010.