Welcome to A Lotus Girl Blog, in the books category, where we showcase recommendations and reviews of books and novels from global literature. Today, I’ve chosen to talk about a novel from Latin American literature, The Postman. It’s a historical and political fiction novel with a touch of romance, written by the renowned Latin writer Antonio Skármeta. Enjoy reading!
About Antonio Skarmeta
“Antonio Skármeta is a Chilean writer, born in the city of Antofagasta, Chile, in 1940. He is considered one of the most important Latin American writers, with his works translated into several languages. Skármeta achieved great success with his novel The Poet’s Wedding, which was well-received. However, it was his novel The Postman, previously titled Burning Patience, that brought him even greater fame. The novel was adapted into a film that was nominated for several Oscars, significantly boosting his reputation and leading to his work being translated into languages worldwide.”
About Pablo Neruda
How painful it is to die accused of betraying the homeland that one has always loved! Unfortunately, this is what happened to one of the most important poets of the twentieth century and the Nobel Laureate in Literature, Pablo Neruda. Not only did Neruda, a Chilean by nationality, write some of the most beautiful poems, but he was also a prominent political figure in Chile at that time. He served as Chile’s ambassador to various countries such as France, Argentina, and Spain. He even ran for the presidency in 1970. Finally, the great poet Pablo Neruda died in sorrow, disillusioned, and fearful for his country after the military coup in 1973 against then-President Salvador Allende. What made matters worse was the suspicion that Neruda was involved in this coup. He, who adored Chile and sang of it in his poetry and was enamored with its sea. Therefore, let us review the novel The Postman by Latin American writer Antonio Skármeta.
The Postman Novel
Through this historical and political fiction novel, published in 1985, Latin American writer Antonio Skármeta wanted to tell the story of the great poet’s life in a different way, through a unique and close perspective. The novel reveals Neruda’s delightful, creative, courageous, compassionate, and inspiring character. He did this by writing The Postman, which introduces us to the poet as seen through the eyes of the postman Mario Jiménez, who is no less a hero in Skármeta’s story. The novel weaves together two intersecting stories: the first about a young man who leaves his fishing job to become a postman, and in the process, he wants to get closer to the poet Neruda to learn the art of love to win over his beloved. The second story is about a poet who loved his homeland, its nature, and its way of life, immortalizing it in his poems and striving to make it a beacon of democracy and justice, unaware of what fate had in store for him.
As Skármeta mentioned in the preface, it took him 14 years to write the novel. He admitted to adding some fictional elements, but the novel remains unique, deep, and realistic.
Spoiler Alert!!
My favorite part of the novel is the final chapter, when soldiers surrounded Neruda’s house from all sides. Despite being very ill and weak, he wanted to see the Chilean coast from his window, fearing that they would take away its sea and confine it in a cage.
Finally, I strongly recommend reading this novel of translated Latin American literature, hoping it will be an enjoyable new experience for the reader. If you liked this post and found it useful share it with your friends and pin it! And If you’ve already read this novel, share your thoughts in the comments and don’t forget to mention your favorite part about the novel!
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