Antonio Skármeta
Antonio Skarmeta ( born November 7, 1940 in Antofagasta ) is a Chilean writer.
Life
He is the son of Croatian immigrants from the island of Brač. Skármeta is the author of numerous novels and short stories. He had as supporters of Salvador Allende after the military coup in 1973 left his country and lived in exile in West Berlin. Here he wrote screenplays for German films, including Peter Lilienthal. Skármeta 1989 returned back to Chile.
His most famous book is the novel Burning Patience, which is based on his screenplay for the film of the same name from 1983. The film, shot in black and white and with modest means, attained only by Michael Radford's film version in 1994 under the title The Postman ( Il Postino ) worldwide fame. Movie and book deal with the friendship between a postman and the Chilean Nobel Prize for Literature Pablo Neruda. The postman falls in love with a girl from the village where Neruda lived, and by the poetry of Neruda, he expresses his love to the girl and eventually becomes a poet. In the book, the friendship ends in 1973 with the death of Neruda after the coup.
The title of the book is a quote from Arthur Rimbaud back: " At dawn we will, armed with a burning patience, entering cities. "
So Skármeta writes in his novel: " Only with a burning patience, we shall conquer the radiant city that will give light to all people, justice and dignity. Thus, the poetry is not in vain sung. "
In Radford's film Neruda is represented by French actor Philippe Noiret.
After the return of democracy in Chile Skármeta 2000 was appointed Chilean Ambassador in Berlin, and held this office until 2003. In the Chilean television, he hosted a literary program, which presented current books.
Skármeta is a member of PEN Center Germany.
Works
Published in German:
- I dreamed of snow is burning 1978
- Nixpassiert, 1978
- The uprising, 1981
- Burning Patience, 1984
- The cyclist from San Cristóbal, 1986
- Sophie's match point, 1989
- From a distance I see this country. A Chilean in Berlin, 1993
- The wedding of the poet, 2000
- The Girl with the trombone, 2002
- The essay, 2003
- The thief and the Showgirl, 2005
- My father from Paris, Roman, from Spanish by Stefanie Gerhold, Graf Verlag, Munich 2011 ISBN 978-3-86220-013-9
- My friend Neruda, 2011
Films
Based Upon
Screenplay