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Antonio Skármeta

アントニオ・スカルメタ

Antonio Skármeta

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1940-11-07 （Antofagasta, Chile）
Died
2024-10-15 （Santiago, Chile） age 83
Nationality
Chile
Languages
Spanish
Residence History
Chile (Santiago) → Argentina (Buenos Aires) → West Berlin (then) / Berlin, Germany → United States (New York)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Screenwriter, Film director, Television host, University lecturer, Diplomat (ambassador)
Active Years
1967-2024
Influenced By
Pablo Neruda, Latin American poetic and political traditions
Influenced
Younger writers in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world

Education

Instituto Nacional
Period: 在学期間不明
Country: Chile
Attended the public secondary school in Chile.
University of Chile
Philosophy and Literature
Period: 在籍期間不明
Country: Chile
Studied philosophy and literature; later taught at the university (1967–1973).
Columbia University
Studies in literature and philosophy
Period: 在籍期間不明
Country: United States
Undertook studies/research in New York.

Awards

Prix Médicis étranger
2001
Organization: Prix Médicis (France)
Result: 受賞
Premio Iberoamericano Planeta–Casa de América de Narrativa
2011
Work: Los días del arco iris
Organization: Grupo Planeta / Casa de América
Result: 受賞
National Prize for Literature (Chile)
2014
Organization: Republic of Chile
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ardiente paciencia / El cartero de Neruda

1985 Novel

A story about a young postman and his relationship with poet Pablo Neruda, exploring love, poetry, politics and coming of age. Adapted into the internationally acclaimed film Il Postino (1994).

LovePoetryFriendshipPolitical changeComing of age
Adaptations
  • [Film] Il Postino / Michael Radford (1994)
Translations
  • Translated into many languages (including English)

Los días del arco iris

2010 Novel

A novel that won the Premio Iberoamericano Planeta–Casa de América in 2011; it addresses personal memory, history and social change.

MemoryHistorySocial change
Translations
  • Translated into multiple languages

Un padre de película

2010 Novel

A father-and-son story that inspired the Brazilian film O Filme da Minha Vida.

FamilyMemoryComing of age
Adaptations
  • [Film] O Filme da Minha Vida / Selton Mello (2017)

Bibliography

  • 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)
  • Ardiente paciencia / 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)
  • Libertad de Movimiento (2016)

Adaptations

  • Il Postino (film, 1994) — based on Ardiente paciencia
  • O Filme da Minha Vida (film, 2017) — based on Un padre de película
  • No (2012, dir. Pablo Larraín) — inspired by the unpublished play El Plebiscito

Translations of Works

  • English and many other translations of Ardiente paciencia
  • Translations of Los días del arco iris (multiple languages)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical yet concise proseBlend of realism and poetic metaphor
Recurring Motifs
The seaPoetry and poetsRemembrance and memoryExile and politics

Legacy

Skármeta is one of Chile's notable writers, widely known through film adaptations and international translations. He combined political and cultural themes with accessible narratives and contributed to cultural dissemination via television and diplomatic service.

In Popular Culture

  • Gained international recognition through the film Il Postino
  • Well known in Chile as host of a popular literature and arts television program

Trivia

  • His novel Ardiente paciencia was the basis for the film Il Postino.
  • Served as Chile's ambassador to Germany from 2000 to 2003.
  • He was of Croatian descent (originating from the island of Brač).
  • Awarded the National Prize for Literature (Chile) in 2014.