Juan José Saer
Encyclopedia
Juan José Saer was one of the most important Argentine
novelists of the last fifty years.
Born to Syria
n immigrants in Serodino
, a small town in the Santa Fe Province
, he studied law and philosophy at the National University of the Littoral
, where he taught History of Cinematography. Thanks to a scholarship, he moved to Paris
in 1968. He had recently retired from his position as a lecturer at the University of Rennes
, and had almost finished his final novel, La Grande(2005), which has since been published posthumously, along with a series of critical articles on Latin American and European writers, Trabajos (2006).
Saer's novels frequently thematize the situation of the self-exiled writer through the figures of two twin brothers, one of whom remained in Argentina during the dictatorship, while the other, like Saer himself, moved to Paris; several of his novels trace their separate and intertwining fates, along with those of a host of other characters who alternate between foreground and background from work to work. Like several of his contemporaries (Ricardo Piglia
, César Aira
, Roberto Bolaño
), Saer's work often builds on particular and highly codified genres, such as detective fiction (The Investigation), colonial encounters (The Witness), travelogues (El rio sin orillas), or canonical modern writers (e.g. Proust
, in "La mayor" and Joyce
, in "Sombras sobre vidrio esmerilado").
His novel La ocasión won the Nadal Prize
in 1987. He developed lung cancer
, and died in Paris in 2005, at age 67.
Several of his stories were turned into movies by his students, including Palo y hueso (Stick and Bone, 1968) directed by Nicolás Sarquís
,
Cicatrices (Scars) directed by Patricio Coll
and Nadie Nada Nunca (No, No, Never, 1998) directed by Raúl Beceyro
.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
novelists of the last fifty years.
Born to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n immigrants in Serodino
Serodino
Serodino is a town in the . It is located in the Iriondo Department, 152 km away from the provincial capital . As of the it has a population of 3,375 ....
, a small town in the Santa Fe Province
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, he studied law and philosophy at the National University of the Littoral
National University of the Littoral
The National University of the Littoral is a university in Argentina. It is based in Santa Fe, the capital of the province of the same name, and it has colleges and other academic facilities in Esperanza, Reconquista and Gálvez, also in Santa Fe Province.-History:The original institution was...
, where he taught History of Cinematography. Thanks to a scholarship, he moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1968. He had recently retired from his position as a lecturer at the University of Rennes
University of Rennes 2 - Upper Brittany
The University of Rennes 2 is a French university in Upper Brittany, one of four in the Academy of Rennes.The main campus is situated in the northwest section of Rennes in the Villejean neighborhood not far from the other campus, located at La Harpe.-Creation of the University of Brittany:Asked...
, and had almost finished his final novel, La Grande(2005), which has since been published posthumously, along with a series of critical articles on Latin American and European writers, Trabajos (2006).
Saer's novels frequently thematize the situation of the self-exiled writer through the figures of two twin brothers, one of whom remained in Argentina during the dictatorship, while the other, like Saer himself, moved to Paris; several of his novels trace their separate and intertwining fates, along with those of a host of other characters who alternate between foreground and background from work to work. Like several of his contemporaries (Ricardo Piglia
Ricardo Piglia
Ricardo Piglia is one of the foremost contemporary Argentine writers, known for his fiction, including several collections of short stories; the novels Artificial Respiration , The Absent City , Burnt Money ; and criticism including Criticism and Fiction , Brief Forms and...
, César Aira
César Aira
César Aira is an Argentine writer and translator, and an exponent of Argentine contemporary literature. He has published over fifty books of stories, novels and essays...
, Roberto Bolaño
Roberto Bolaño
Roberto Bolaño Ávalos was a Chilean novelist and poet. In 1999 he won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize for his novel Los detectives salvajes , and in 2008 he was posthumously awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for his novel 2666, which was described by board member Marcela Valdes...
), Saer's work often builds on particular and highly codified genres, such as detective fiction (The Investigation), colonial encounters (The Witness), travelogues (El rio sin orillas), or canonical modern writers (e.g. Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
, in "La mayor" and Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, in "Sombras sobre vidrio esmerilado").
His novel La ocasión won the Nadal Prize
Premio Nadal
Premio Nadal is a Spanish literary prize awarded annually by the publishing house Ediciones Destino, part of Planeta. It has been awarded every year on January 6 since 1944...
in 1987. He developed lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, and died in Paris in 2005, at age 67.
Several of his stories were turned into movies by his students, including Palo y hueso (Stick and Bone, 1968) directed by Nicolás Sarquís
Nicolás Sarquís
Nicolás Sarquís was an Argentine film director and screenwriter. His first full-length movie was Palo y hueso , filmed in black and white.He died of lung cancer in 2003.-Filmography:*1965 Después de hora...
,
Cicatrices (Scars) directed by Patricio Coll
Patricio Coll
Patricio Coll is a movie director from Argentina who has worked in film, video and TV, both in Argentina and Venezuela and Spain. He currently resides in Santa Fe....
and Nadie Nada Nunca (No, No, Never, 1998) directed by Raúl Beceyro
Raúl Beceyro
Raúl Beceyro is a movie director, critic and photographer from Argentina.He is known for the movie Nadie Nada Nunca that he produced and directed, based on the novel of the same name by Juan Jose Saer...
.