Mario Orlando Hardy Hamlet Brenno Benedetti Farrugia (; 14 September 1920 – 17 May 2009), was an

Uruguayan Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

, and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

and an integral member of the

Generación del 45 The Generation '45 ( es, link=no, Generación del 45) was a group of writers, mainly from Uruguay, who had a notable influence in the literary and cultural life of their country and region. Their name derives from the fact that their careers st ...

. Despite publishing more than 80 books and being published in twenty languages he was not well known in the

English-speaking Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

world. In the Spanish-speaking world he is considered one of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

's most important writers of the latter half of the 20th century.

Early life and education

Benedetti was born 1920 in

Paso de los Toros Paso de los Toros (''Bulls' Pass'') is a city of the Tacuarembó Department in Uruguay. History The Midland Uruguay Railway began operation in 1889 with a line that ran between Paso de los Toros and Salto. On 17 July 1903, the group of houses ...

in the Uruguayan

Tacuarembó Department Tacuarembó () is the largest department of Uruguay and it is part of its northern region. Its capital is Tacuarembó. It borders Rivera Department to its north and east, the departments of Salto, Paysandú and Río Negro to its west and has the ...

to Brenno Benedetti, a pharmaceutical and chemical winemaker and Matilde Farrugia who were of Italian descent. Two years later, they moved to Tacuarembó, the capital city of the province, and shortly after that, his father tried to buy a chemist’s but was swindled and went into bankruptcy, so they moved and settled in Montevideo, the capital city of the country, where they lived in difficult economic conditions. Mario completed six years of primary school at the Deutsche Schule Montevideo, where he also learned German, which later allowed him to be the first translator of

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typ ...

in Uruguay. His father immediately removed him from the school when Nazi ideology started featuring in the classroom. For two years afterwards he studied at Liceo Miranda, but for the rest of his high school years he did not attend an educational institution. In those years he learned

shorthand Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek ''s ...

, which was his livelihood for a long time. At the age of 14 he began working, first as a stenographer and then as a seller, public officer, accountant, journalist, broadcaster and translator.

Career

He trained as a journalist with Carlos Quijano, in the weekly

Marcha Marcha (born Margaretha Hendrika Maria Groeneveld on 2 July 1956), also known as Marga Bult, is a Dutch singer and television presenter, who has been a member of the groups Tulip, Babe and Dutch Divas and is also known for her participation in th ...

. From 1938 and 1941 he lived in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Argentina. He worked in different professions on both banks of the Río de la Plata river, for example, as a stenographer. In 1946 he married Luz López Alegre. He was a member of the '

Generation of 45 A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...

', an Uruguayan intellectual and literary movement which included

Carlos Maggi Carlos Maggi (5 August 1922, Montevideo, Uruguay – 15 May 2015, Montevideo, Uruguay) was a Uruguayan lawyer, playwright, journalist and writer. Among his acquaintances he was known as "the Kid" ( es, el Pibe). He was one of the last survivi ...

Manuel Flores Mora Manuel Flores Mora (1923–1984) was a Uruguayan journalist and politician representing the Colorado Party. Background and early career A direct descendant of 19th century President Venancio Flores, Flores worked in his youth for a range of ...

Ángel Rama Ángel A. Rama (; April 30, 1926November 27, 1983) was a Uruguayan writer, academic, and literary critic, known for his work on ''modernismo'' and for his theorization of the concept of " transculturation." Biography Born in Montevideo to Galic ...

Emir Rodríguez Monegal Emir Rodríguez Monegal (28 July 1921 – 14 November 1985), born in Uruguay, was a scholar, literary critic, and editor of Latin American literature. From 1969 to 1985, Rodríguez Monegal was professor of Latin American contemporary literatu ...

Idea Vilariño Idea Vilariño Romani ( Montevideo, 18 August 1920 – 28 April 2009) was a Uruguayan poet, essayist and literary critic. She belonged to the group of intellectuals known as ''" Generación del 45."'' In this generation, there are several write ...

Carlos Real de Azúa Carlos Real de Azúa (March 15, 1916 – July 16, 1977) was a Uruguayan lawyer, professor, essayist, sociologist and historian. Biography Real de Azúa Real was born into an old Uruguayan family, the first Real de Azúa having arrived at the R� ...

José Pedro Díaz José Pedro Díaz (January 12, 1921 - July 3, 2006) was a Uruguayan essayist, educator and writer. He is remembered as a member of the ''Generation of 45'', a Uruguayan intellectual and literary movement: Carlos Maggi, Manuel Flores Mora, Ánge ...

Amanda Berenguer Amanda Berenguer (1921 – July 13, 2010) was a Uruguayan poet. She is remembered as a member of the Generation of 45, a Uruguayan intellectual and literary movement. Biography She was born in Montevideo. ''Quehaceres e Invenciones'' (1963) bro ...

Ida Vitale Ida Vitale (born 2 November 1923) is a Uruguayan poet, translator, essayist, lecturer and literary critic. Life She played an important role in the Uruguayan art movement known as the 'Generation of 45': Carlos Maggi, Manuel Flores Mora, ...

Líber Falco Líber Falco (4 October 1906 – 10 November 1955) was a Uruguayan poet. Biography Born on 4 October 1906 in the neighborhood of Villa Muñoz in Montevideo, Uruguay. As a young man, he worked as a barber, salesman, clerk in a print shop and ...

, Juan Carlos Onetti, among others. He wrote for the weekly Uruguayan newspaper ''

'' from 1945 until it was forcibly closed by the military government in 1973, and was its literary director from 1954. In 1957, he traveled to Europe and visited nine countries as a correspondent for ''Marcha'' weekly magazine and ''El Diario'' newspaper.

Exile, 1973 to 1985

For 12 years, from 1973 to 1985, when a civic-military dictatorship ruled Uruguay, Benedetti lived in exile. He first went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then to

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

where he was detained, deported and then given amnesty. He went to Cuba in 1976 and the following year to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain. His exile was made particularly trying by the fact that his wife had to remain in Uruguay to look after both of their mothers. In 1980, he moved to

Palma, Majorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorca ...

Return to Uruguay, 1985

Benedetti returned to Uruguay in March 1985 following the restoration of democracy, and thereafter divided his time between

Montevideo Montevideo () is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . Montevideo is situated on the southern co ...

and

. He has been granted Honoris Causa doctorates by the Universidad de la República, Uruguay, the Universidad de Alicante, Spain and the

Universidad de Valladolid The University of Valladolid is a public university located in the city of Valladolid, Valladolid province, autonomous region of Castile and Leon, Spain. Established in the 13th century, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. The ...

, Spain. In 1986 he was awarded Laureate Of The International Botev Prize. On 7 June 2005, he was named the recipient of the

Menéndez Pelayo International Prize The Menéndez Pelayo International Prize has been awarded since 1987 by the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP) with the objective of honoring those persons whose literary or scientific work has a humanistic orientation and application ...

. 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 (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

from the United States.

Personal life and death

In the last ten years of his life Benedetti suffered from

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

and spent his winters in Madrid where it was summer in order to avoid the cold, though as his health deteriorated he eventually remained in Montevideo. In 2006, his wife Luz López died, ending more than six decades of matrimony. Before dying he dictated to his personal secretary, Ariel Silva, what would become his last poem: He died in

on 17 May 2009. He had suffered from respiratory and intestinal problems for more than a year. His remains are buried at the National Pantheon in the

Central Cemetery of Montevideo The Central Cemetery (Spanish: ''Cementerio central'') of Barrio Sur, Montevideo, is one of the main cemeteries in Uruguay. It also ranks amongst the most popular in the country, given that most famous Uruguayan people are buried there. It is l ...

.Benedetti dies

Work

For his poetry and novels Benedetti won numerous international awards. ''La Tregua'', first published in 1960, has since been translated into over 20 languages (into English by Harry Morales) and inspired the 1974 film

The Truce ''The Truce'' ( it, La tregua), titled ''The Reawakening'' in the US, is a book by the Italian author Primo Levi. It is the sequel to ''If This Is a Man'' and describes the author's experiences from the liberation of Auschwitz ( Monowitz), which ...

. Each year below links to either the corresponding " earin literature" or " earin poetry" article:

Poetry

* 1945: ''La víspera indeleble'' ("Indelible Eve"), his first published bookWeb page title
"Biblioteca de autores contemporaneos / Mario Benedetti - El autor"
(in Spanish), retrieved 27 May 2009 * 1956: ''Poemas de oficina'' ("Office Poems") * 1963: ** ''Inventario, Poesía 1950–1958'' ("Inventory, Poems 1950–1958") ** ''Poemas del hoy por hoy'' ("Poems of Today") * 1977: ''La casa y el ladrillo'' ("The House and the Brick") * 1981: ''Viento del exilio'' ("Wind of the exile") * 1986: ''Preguntas al azar'' ("Random Questions") * 1988: ''Yesterday y mañana'' ("Yesterday and Tomorrow") * 1991: ''Las soledades de Babel'' ("The Loneliness of Babel") * 1994: ''Inventario dos (1985-1994)'' ("Inventory Two (1985-1994)"), published in Madrid * 1995: ''("The Exercise of Discretion: Oblivion Is Full of Memory")'', published in Spain * 1996: ''El amor, las mujeres y la vida. Poemas de amor.'' * 1997: ''La vida ese paréntesis'' * 2002: ''Insomnios y Duermevelas'', * 2004: ''Defensa propia'', * ''Little Stones At My Window'' (Bilingual edition; translation and introduction by Charles Hatfield) *Poemas de otros *Noción de Patria *Sólo mientras tanto *Quemar las naves *A ras de sueño *Letras de emergencia * 2007: Vivir adrede

Short stories

* 1960: '' 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" * 1977: ''La vecina orilla''

Essays

* 1960: ''El país de la cola de paja'' * "La Colección"

Plays

* 1958: ''Ida y Vuelta'' * 1979: ''Pedro y el capitán''

Novels

* 1953: ''Quién de nosotros'' * 1960: ''La tregua'', the basis for

The Truce (1974 film) ''The Truce'' ( es, La tregua) is a 1974 Argentine romantic drama film directed by Sergio Renán and based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Mario Benedetti. It was the first Argentine film to be nominated for an Academy Award (the Academy ...

* 1965: ''Gracias por el fuego'', the basis for a 1984 film of the same name; see List of Argentine films of 1984 * 1971: ''El cumpleaños de Juan Ángel'' * 1982: ''Primavera con una esquina rota'' * 1993: ''La borra del café'' * 1996: ''Andamios'' * 2003: ''El porvenir de mi pasado''

Miscellaneous

* 1969: ''Book Cubano'', including poems, articles and interviews about Cuba and his experiences there * 1984: ''El Desexilio y Otras Conjeturas'' (Dis-exile And Other Conjectures) * 1996: ''Obras completas'' ("Complete Works"), in 28 volumes, published in Argentina

References

External links

Mario Benedetti Foundation (in Spanish)

Excerpt from "Spring with a Broken Corner" in Guernica Magazine

Center for Latin American studies Mario Benedetti, Universitat d'Alacant, Spain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benedetti, Mario 1920 births 2009 deaths People from Paso de los Toros Uruguayan people of Italian descent Uruguayan exiles Uruguayan expatriates in Argentina Uruguayan expatriates in Cuba Uruguayan expatriates in Peru Uruguayan expatriates in Spain Uruguayan journalists Uruguayan novelists Translators of Franz Kafka Male novelists Uruguayan essayists 21st-century Uruguayan poets 21st-century Uruguayan male writers Uruguayan male poets Uruguayan male short story writers Uruguayan short story writers Magic realism writers Burials at the Central Cemetery of Montevideo 20th-century Uruguayan poets 20th-century novelists Male essayists 20th-century short story writers 21st-century short story writers 20th-century essayists 21st-century essayists 20th-century Uruguayan male writers 20th-century journalists