Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 5 (1987) Winner
Abel Posse
アベル・パレンティニ・ポッセ
Abel Parentini Posse
Pen Names:
Arnaut Daniel（Pseudonym used when submitting to the 1968 Planeta Prize）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1934-01-07 （Córdoba, Argentina）
- Died
- 2023-04-14 （Buenos Aires, Argentina） age 89
- Nationality
- Argentina
- Languages
- Spanish, French, German (reading)
- Residence History
- Buenos Aires (childhood onward) → Córdoba (birth) → Moscow (1966–1969) → Lima (1969–1971, 1998–2000) → Venice (1973–1979) → Paris (1981–1985) → Tel Aviv (1985–1988) → Prague (1990–1996) → Copenhagen (2001–2002) → Madrid (2002–2004) → Buenos Aires (2004–2023)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, essayist, poet, diplomat, politician, university teacher, journalist
- Active Years
- 1959-2023
- Affiliations
- Argentine Academy of Letters, National Academy of Education, Instituto Sanmartiniano de Lima, SADE (Sociedad Argentina de Escritores)
- Memberships
- Argentine Academy of Letters, National Academy of Education, SADE (Sociedad Argentina de Escritores), Instituto Sanmartiniano de Lima
- Influenced By
- Jorge Luis Borges, Ernesto Sabato, Rodolfo Günther Kusch, Martin Heidegger, Alejo Carpentier
- Nominations
- Planeta Prize (1968 finalist; submitted under the pseudonym Arnaut Daniel)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Buenos Aires, Faculty of Law | Faculty of Law | Law | — | 1954–1958 | Argentina |
| Sorbonne University | Political Science (doctoral studies) | Political Science | — | 1959–1961 | France |
University of Buenos Aires, Faculty of Law
Faculty of Law
/ Law
Period:
1954–1958
Year of Graduation:
1958
Country:
Argentina
Completed university studies in 1958; began literary activity while studying law.
Sorbonne University
Political Science (doctoral studies)
/ Political Science
Period:
1959–1961
Country:
France
Undertook doctoral studies in Paris on a scholarship; included two semesters in Tübingen.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Rómulo Gallegos Prize | The Dogs of Paradise | — | Rómulo Gallegos Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1992 | Premio Internacional Extremadura-America V Centenario | The Long Sunset of the Wanderer | — | Premio Internacional Extremadura-America | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit | — | — | Kingdom of Spain (Royal Household) | 受賞 |
| 2001 | Literary Prize of the Argentine Academy of Letters (1998–2001) | The Disturbing Day of Life | — | Argentine Academy of Letters | 受賞 |
| 1971 | Third National Prize of Argentine Literature | The Tiger's Mouth | — | Argentinian literary institutions | 受賞（第3位） |
| 1970 | Sash of Honour of SADE | Los bogavantes | — | SADE (Sociedad Argentina de Escritores) | 受賞 |
| 1989 | Premio Internacional Diana-Novedades (Mexico) | The Traveler of Agartha | — | Diana-Novedades | 受賞 |
Rómulo Gallegos Prize
1987
Work:
The Dogs of Paradise
Organization:
Rómulo Gallegos Foundation
Result:
受賞
Premio Internacional Extremadura-America V Centenario
1992
Work:
The Long Sunset of the Wanderer
Organization:
Premio Internacional Extremadura-America
Result:
受賞
Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
2004
Organization:
Kingdom of Spain (Royal Household)
Result:
受賞
Literary Prize of the Argentine Academy of Letters (1998–2001)
2001
Work:
The Disturbing Day of Life
Organization:
Argentine Academy of Letters
Result:
受賞
Third National Prize of Argentine Literature
1971
Work:
The Tiger's Mouth
Organization:
Argentinian literary institutions
Result:
受賞（第3位）
Sash of Honour of SADE
1970
Work:
Los bogavantes
Organization:
SADE (Sociedad Argentina de Escritores)
Result:
受賞
Premio Internacional Diana-Novedades (Mexico)
1989
Work:
The Traveler of Agartha
Organization:
Diana-Novedades
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Los bogavantes
1970 Novel (neo-realist)An early novel set in Paris and Seville centered on a trio of characters reflecting the ideological tensions of the early 1960s.
ideology and youthindividual vs. power
La boca del tigre
1971 NovelA novel influenced by the author's experiences in the Soviet Union; explores power, distrust of dominant ideologies, and notions of Americanness.
critique of powerAmericanness
Daimon
1978 Novel (historical, baroque)First of the 'Trilogy of the Discovery of America'; through an avatar of Lope de Aguirre, it retraces conquest and painful Latin American history with baroque style.
reinterpretation of conquesthistory and violence
The Dogs of Paradise
1983 Novel (new historical novel)Second volume of the trilogy focusing on Christopher Columbus; uses anachronism and intertextuality to question official historiography of the conquest.
doubt towards official historyclash of cultures
Translations
- English translation: The Dogs of Paradise (translated by Margaret Sayers Peden)
El largo atardecer del caminante
1992 NovelFinal novel of the trilogy featuring Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who recollects his American experience in a reflective, autobiographical tone.
repentance and healingidentity
The Passion According to Eva
1994 Novel (fictionalized biography)A polyphonic fictional biography that portrays the last nine months of Eva Perón's life, aiming to transcend ideological readings.
politics and the individualre-evaluation of history
The Prague Notebooks
1998 Novel (biographical elements)Biographical novel about Che Guevara based on research that the author carried out while in Prague.
reconsideration of heroic figuresindividual destiny
The Disturbing Day of Life
2001 NovelSet in late 19th/early 20th century Argentina, it explores family, history, and inner life of its characters.
modernityfamily history
When the Son Dies
2009 Memoir / autobiographical non-fictionAutobiographical account chronicling the suicide of his son Iván; reflective exploration of grief and loss.
lossfamily tragedy
Night of Wolves
2011 Novel (semi-biographical)A semi-biographical novel based on the written testimony of a Montonero female leader who was detained and tortured at the ESMA.
violence and lovememory and testimony
Bibliography
- Los bogavantes (1970)
- La boca del tigre (1971)
- Daimon (1978)
- Momento de morir (1979)
- Los perros del paraíso / The Dogs of Paradise (1983)
- Los demonios ocultos (1987)
- La reina del Plata (1988)
- El viajero de Agartha (1989)
- El largo atardecer del caminante (1992)
- La pasión según Eva (1994)
- Los cuadernos de Praga (1998)
- El inquietante día de la vida (2001)
- Cuando muere el hijo (2009)
- Noche de lobos (2011)
- Vivir Venecia (2016, forthcoming/uncertain)
- Various essays, poems and short stories (see list)
Translations by Author
- Translation of Martin Heidegger's 'Der Feldweg' into Spanish (co-translated with Sabine Langenheim, 1979)
Translations of Works
- Daimon (English translation by Sarah Arvio, 1992)
- Los perros del paraíso / The Dogs of Paradise (English translation by Margaret Sayers Peden, 1989)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- baroque stylepolyphonymetafictional techniquesparody and intertextuality
- Recurring Motifs
- reinterpretation of conquest and colonialismhistory and memoryLatin American identity (americanidad)violence and redemption
Legacy
Abel Posse is regarded as one of the key exponents of the Latin American 'new historical novel'. His long diplomatic career and life abroad provided distance and perspective to a body of work that reinterprets conquest, identity, violence and memory.
Academic Societies
- Argentine Academy of Letters
- National Academy of Education
In Popular Culture
- Organizer (with Claudio Segovia) of the 1983 Tango festival 'Tango argentin', promoting traditional tango
Quotes
-
“Only faith can cure, only kindness heals.”
Source: Quoted in El largo atardecer del caminante (as a maxim attributed in the work) (1992)
Trivia
- Submitted to the 1968 Planeta Prize under the pseudonym Arnaut Daniel and reached the final shortlist.
- His son Iván committed suicide in Paris in 1983 (aged 15); Posse later wrote about this tragedy in Cuando muere el hijo (2009).
- Appointed Minister of Education for the City of Buenos Aires in 2009 but resigned after 11 days amid controversy.
- Wrote Daimon while living in Venice; the book later became a notable work in his trilogy and was shortlisted for the Rómulo Gallegos Prize.
- Co-translated a work by Martin Heidegger into Spanish with his wife Sabine Langenheim.