Mario Benedetti
Encyclopedia
Mario Benedetti
(September 14, 1920 – May 17, 2009) was an Uruguay
an journalist
, novelist, and poet
.
He was not well known in the English-speaking
world, but in the Spanish
-speaking world he was considered one of Latin America
's most important 20th-century writers.
in the department of Tacuarembó
in a family of Italian descent. In 1946 he married Luz López Alegre.
From 1973 to 1985, when a military dictatorship ruled Uruguay, Benedetti lived in exile in Buenos Aires
, Lima
, Havana
, and Spain
. Following the restoration of democracy, he divided his time between Montevideo
and Madrid
. He was granted Honoris Causa doctorates by the Universidad de la República, Uruguay, the Universidad de Alicante, Spain, and the Universidad de Valladolid, Spain. In 1986 he was awarded Laureate Of The International Botev Prize. On June 7, 2005, he was named the recipient of the Premio Menéndez y Pelayo. His poetry was also used in the 1992 Argentine movie The Dark Side of the Heart (El lado oscuro del corazón) in which he read some of his poems in German.
In 2006, Mario Benedetti signed a petition in support of the independence of Puerto Rico
from the United States of America.
He died in Montevideo
on 17 May 2009. He had suffered from respiratory and intestinal problems for more than a year.
Before dying, he dictated to his personal secretary, Ariel Silva what would become his last poem :
A free translation into English of these few lines might be as follows:
. Each year below links to either the corresponding "[year] in literature" or "[year] in poetry" article:
(September 14, 1920 – May 17, 2009) was an Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, novelist, and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
He was not well known in the English-speaking
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
world, but in the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking world he was considered one of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
's most important 20th-century writers.
Biography
Benedetti was born in Paso de los TorosPaso de los Toros
Paso de los Toros is a Uruguayan commercial line of carbonated soft drinks named after the Uruguayan city Paso de los Toros. Originally produced by a local company, it is currently manufactured by Pepsi...
in the department of Tacuarembó
Tacuarembó
Tacuarembó is the capital city of the Tacuarembó Department in north-central Uruguay. It is located on Km. 390 of Route 5, south-southwest of Rivera, the capital city of the Rivera Department. Routes 26 and 31 also meet Route 5 within the city limits...
in a family of Italian descent. In 1946 he married Luz López Alegre.
From 1973 to 1985, when a military dictatorship ruled Uruguay, Benedetti lived in exile in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Following the restoration of democracy, he divided his time between Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
and Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. He was granted Honoris Causa doctorates by the Universidad de la República, Uruguay, the Universidad de Alicante, Spain, and the Universidad de Valladolid, Spain. In 1986 he was awarded Laureate Of The International Botev Prize. On June 7, 2005, he was named the recipient of the Premio Menéndez y Pelayo. His poetry was also used in the 1992 Argentine movie The Dark Side of the Heart (El lado oscuro del corazón) in which he read some of his poems in German.
In 2006, Mario Benedetti signed a petition in support of the independence of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
from the United States of America.
He died in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
on 17 May 2009. He had suffered from respiratory and intestinal problems for more than a year.
Before dying, he dictated to his personal secretary, Ariel Silva what would become his last poem :
- Mi vida ha sido como una farsa
- Mi arte ha consistido
- En que esta no se notara demasiado
- He sido como un levitador en la vejez
- El brillo marrón de los azulejos
- Jamás se separó de mi piel
- (Fragment)
A free translation into English of these few lines might be as follows:
- My life has been like a farce
- My art has consisted
- In this not being noticed too much
- I've been as a levitator in my old age
- The brown sheen of the tiles
- Never came off my skin
- (Fragment)
Works
For his poetry and novels Benedetti had won numerous international awards. The Truce, first published in 1960, has since been translated into 19 languages and made into two motion picturesThe Truce (1974 film)
The Truce is a 1974 Argentine film directed by Sergio Renán and co-written with Aída Bortnik, based on the eponymous novel by Mario Benedetti...
. Each year below links to either the corresponding "[year] in literature" or "[year] in poetry" article:
Poetry
- 19451945 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes, based on George Crabbe's The Borough...
:La víspera indeleble ("Indelible Eve"), his first published book - 19561956 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* February 27—Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath meet in Cambridge...
: Poemas de oficina ("Office Poems") - 19631963 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January 26 – Raghunath Vishnu Pandit, an Indian poet who wrote in both Konkani and Marathi languages, publishes five books of poems this day* The Belfast Group, a discussion group of poets in...
:- Inventario, Poesía 1950–1958 ("Inventory, Poems 1950–1958")
- Poemas del hoyporhoy ("Poems of Today")
- 19771977 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* January – James Dickey, composed a poem he read at new United States President Jimmy Carter’s inaugural gala although not at the inauguration itself.* British publication Gay News successfully...
: La casa y el ladrillo ("The House and the Brick") - 19811981 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Jane Greer launched Plains Poetry Journal, an advance guard of the New Formalism movement....
: Viento del exilio ("Air From Exile") - 19861986 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* New American Writing, an annual literary magazine concentrating on poetry, is founded in Chicago, Illinois....
: Preguntas al azar ("Random Questions") - 19881988 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The first annual The Best American Poetry volume is published this year....
: Yesterday y mañana ("Yesterday and Tomorrow") - 19911991 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Forward Poetry Prize created...
: Las soledades de Babel ("The Loneliness of Babel") - 19941994 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Allen Ginsberg sells his papers to Stanford University for $1 million.* C. P...
: Inventario dos (1985-1994) ("Inventory Two (1985-1994)"), published in Madrid - 19951995 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* February 16 — Announcement that 300 poems by S.T...
: ("The Exercise of Discretion: Oblivion Is Full of Memory"), published in Spain - 1996: El amor, las mujeres y la vida. Poemas de amor.
- 19971997 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*January 20 — Miller Williams of Arkansas reads his poem, "Of History and Hope," at President Clinton's inauguration....
: La vida ese paréntesis - 2002: Insomnios y Duermevelas, ISBN 84-7522-959-X
- 2004: Defensa propia, ISBN 950-731-438-5
- Little Stones At My Window (Bilingual edition; translation and introduction by Charles Hatfield) ISBN 1-880684-90-X
- Poemas de otros
- Noción de Patria
- Sólo mientras tanto
- Quemar las naves
- A ras de sueño
- Letras de emergencia
- 20072007 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* March 5: a car bomb was exploded on Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad. More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded. This locale is the historic center of Baghdad bookselling, a winding...
: Vivir adrede
Short stories
- 19601960 in literatureThe year 1960 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*November 2 – Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley's Lover case in the United Kingdom....
: Montevideanos - Aquí se respira bien
- Los pocillos
- Acaso irreparable
- Escrito en Überlingen
- El reino de los cielos
- Miss Amnesia
- "Una carta de amor"
- La noche de los feos
- "La sirena viuda"
- "El buzón del tiempo"
Novels
- 19531953 in literatureThe year 1953 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* January 22 - The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, opens on Broadway....
: Quién de nosotros - 19601960 in literatureThe year 1960 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*November 2 – Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley's Lover case in the United Kingdom....
: La tregua, the basis for a 1974 film of the same nameThe Truce (1974 film)The Truce is a 1974 Argentine film directed by Sergio Renán and co-written with Aída Bortnik, based on the eponymous novel by Mario Benedetti... - 19651965 in literatureThe year 1965 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Lloyd Alexander - The Black Cauldron*J. G. Ballard - The Drought*Ray Bradbury - The Vintage Bradbury*John Brunner...
: Gracias por el fuego, the basis for a 1984 film of the same name - 19711971 in literatureThe year 1971 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Destiny Waltz by Gerda Charles wins the UK's first Whitbread Novel of the Year Award.-New books:*Hiroshi Aramata - Teito Monogatari...
: El cumpleaños de Juan Ángel - 19821982 in literatureThe year 1982 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*La Bicyclette Bleue by Régine Deforges becomes France's best selling novel ever.-New books:...
: Primavera con una esquina rota - 19931993 in literatureThe year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
: La borra del café - 19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
: Andamios - 20032003 in literatureThe year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...
: El porvenir de mi pasado
Plays
- 19581958 in literatureThe year 1958 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*August 18 - Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in United States.*First volume of The Civil War by Shelby Foote is published....
: Ida y Vuelta - 19791979 in literatureThe year 1979 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*V.C...
: Pedro y el capitán
Miscellaneous
- 19691969 in literatureThe year 1969 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The first Booker Prize is awarded.* "Penelope Ashe", author of the bestselling novel Naked Came the Stranger, is found to be several people who each took a turn writing a chapter of what they described as "junk" in...
: Book Cubano, including poems, articles and interviews about Cuba and his experiences there - 19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
: Obras completas ("Complete Works"), in 28 volumes, published in Argentina
See also
- List of Uruguayan writers
- Eduardo GaleanoEduardo GaleanoEduardo Hughes Galeano is a Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist. His best known works are Memoria del fuego and Las venas abiertas de América Latina which have been translated into twenty languages and transcend orthodox genres: combining fiction, journalism, political analysis, and...
- Juan Carlos OnettiJuan Carlos OnettiJuan Carlos Onetti was an Uruguayan novelist and author of short stories.A high school drop-out, Onetti's first novel, El pozo, published in 1939, met with his close friends' immediate acclaim, as well as from some writers and journalists of his time...
- Daniel VigliettiDaniel VigliettiDaniel Alberto Viglietti Indart is an Uruguayan folk singer, guitarist, composer, and political activist. He is one of the main exponents of Uruguayan popular song and also of the Nueva Canción or "New Song" of the 1960s and early 1970s.He founded, in 1971, along with other musicians like José...
- Sergio RenánSergio RenánSergio Renán is an Argentine actor, film director and screenwriter.Born in Buenos Aires in 1933, Renán became an accomplished violinist in his teens and, following a minor film role in Mario Soffici's 1951 drama Pasó en mi barrio , he joined the theatre as an actor and continued to appear in...
- Eliseo SubielaEliseo SubielaEliseo Alberto Subiela is an Argentine film director and writer, whose works are considered to be in the 'magic realism' genre....
- Nacha GuevaraNacha GuevaraNacha Guevara is an Argentine singer and actress from Mar de Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.Trained as a dancer and actress, she discovered by chance a career as a singer becoming a symbol in the song of protest movement around 1968 in the avant-garde Instituto Di Tella in Buenos Aires, the...
External links
- Mario Benedetti Foundation (in spanish)
- Excerpt from "Spring with a Broken Corner" in Guernica Magazine
- Poemas
- Poet of Uruguay's Revolutionary Moment by Nick Caistor, The Sydney Morning Herald, June 8, 2009