Posse, Abel 1934-
Posse, Abel 1934-
PERSONAL:
Born January 7, 1934, in Cordova, Argentina; married Sabine Wiebke Langenheim; children: Iván (deceased). Education: University of Buenos Aires, law degree, 1959; University of Paris-Sorbonne, doctor of political science, 1960.
CAREER:
Writer, lawyer, diplomat, educator, and lawyer. Worked in the diplomatic service in Moscow, 1966-69, Venice, 1973-70, Israel, 1985-88, Czechoslovakia, 1990-92, Slovakia, 1992-96, Czech Republic, 1992-96, Peru, 1998-2000, Denmark, 2000-02, and Spain, 2002—; Argentine Cultural Center, Paris, France, director, 1981-85; UNESCO, Paris, member of staff, 2002. Taught courses in universities and cultural centers in Argentina, Spain, and France.
AWARDS, HONORS:
Third National Prize of Literature, 1971; Municipal prize of Buenos Aires, 1972; Strip of Honor, Argentina Society de Escritores, 1972; Order of Arts and Letters of France; Order of the Merit of Peru; Palmas Sanmartinianas; Order of the Sun of Peru in the degree of Great Cross; Doctor Honoris Causes, Federal University Do Spirit Santo, Vitória, Brazil; Romulo Gallegos Prize, Venezuela, 1987, for The Dogs of Paradise; International New Features Prize, Mexico, 1989; Novel International V Centenary Prize, Spain, 1992; International Morning Call Prize, Mexico, 1989; Esteban Echeverria Prize; Argentina Academy of the Letters prize, 2002.
WRITINGS:
La boca del tigre; novella, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1971.
Los bogavantes; novella, Editorial Planeta (Barcelona, Spain), 1975, revised edition, Editorial Atlantida (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1992.
Daimón, Argos (Barcelona, Spain), 1978, translation by Sarah Arvio published as Daimon, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1992.
Momento de morir, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1979.
Los Perros del paraíso (novel), Argos Vergara (Barcelona, Spain), 1983, translation by Margaret Sayers Peden published as The Dogs of Paradise, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1989.
Los demonios ocultos, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1987.
La reina del Plata, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1988.
El viajero de Agartha, Plaza & Janés (Barcelona, Spain), 1989.
Biblioteca esencial: 101 libros fundamentales de la literatura mundial, con un anexo sobre literatura argentina y rioplatense, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1991.
El largo atardecer del caminante, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1992.
La Pasión según Eva, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1994.
Los cuadernos de Praga, Editorial Atlantida (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 1998.
Argentina: el gran viraje, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 2000.
El Inquietante día de la vida, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 2001.
El eclipse argentino: de la enfermedad colectiva al renacimiento, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 2003.
En letra grande: encuentros con maestros de la vida y los libros, Emece Editores (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 2005.
Author's books have been translated into French, Italian, Russian, Czech, Portuguese, Dutch, Hebrew, German, Swedish, Danish, Japanese, Rumanian, Croatian, Greek, Chinese, Turkish, and Galician.
SIDELIGHTS:
Abel Posse, the author of novels and other works, is better known in foreign countries than in his homeland of Argentina. Some of his novels written in Spanish have been published in English, including Daimon, and The Dogs of Paradise. Daimon is an alternative history of the conquistador Lope de Aquirre, who is believed to have died in Amazonia in 1561. Posse, however, writes of the conquistador's survival for another four centuries. Lope de Aguirre eventually begins a search for El Dorado and then runs off with a nun to Machu Picchu in 1802. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted the "author's literary assertiveness … combined with sensual detail."
The Dogs of Paradise, first published in Spanish as Los Perros del paraíso, focuses on Spain's Fernand and Isabella, retelling the voyage of Christopher Columbus, and the horrific impact that Columbus's arrival in the New World had on the native Indians. Dean Willms, writing in the Library Journal, noted that the novel reflects "the astonishing creativity of Latin American writers." In a review for the New York Times, Alexander Coleman referred to the novel as "surrealist history" and wrote: "Mr. Posse plays fast and loose with every fact at his command, as he has every right to do, since he is evolving a subterranean theory about the meaning of history in Spanish America between 1492 and 1986."
BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
Library Journal, January, 1990, Dean Willms, review of The Dogs of Paradise, p. 150.
New York Review, November 22, 1990, Garry Wills, "Goodbye Columbus," includes review of The Dogs of Paradise, pp. 6-10.
New York Times, March 18, 1990, Alexander Coleman, review of The Dogs of Paradise.
Publishers Weekly, September 28, 1992, review of Daimon, p. 65.
ONLINE
Audiovideotecha de escritores de Buenos Aires,http://www.audiovideotecaba.gov.ar/areas/com_social/audiovideoteca/ (November 8, 2006), interview with Posse.
ClubCultura.com,http://www.clubcultura.com/ (November 8, 2006), biography of Posse.
Fundacion Konex,http://www.fundacionkonex.com.ar/ (November 8, 2006), biographical information on Posse.
Literature Argentina Contemporánea,http://www.literatura.org/ (November 8, 2006), brief profile of Posse.
Luche y Vuelve,http://www.lucheyvuelve.com.ar/ (November 8, 2006), Hugo Caligaris, interview with Posse.
El Poder de la Palabra,http://www.epdlp.com/ (November 8, 2006), brief profile of Posse.