Roberto Bolaño

Lore & Background

Bolaño was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1953, but never lived there; he spent his early years in southern and coastal Chile. He was a skinny, nearsighted, bookish child who was dyslexic and often bullied. At age ten he started his first job selling bus tickets. In 1968 he moved with his family to Mexico City, dropped out of school, worked as a journalist, and became active in left-wing politics. A key episode occurred in 1973 when he left Mexico for Chile to support Salvador Allende's government; after the coup, he was arrested on suspicion of being a terrorist and spent eight days in custody. He was rescued by two former classmates who had become prison guards. Since 2009, some Mexican friends have cast doubt on whether he was in Chile at all that year.

Reader's Guide

Bolaño's significance rests on his novels, novellas, and short stories, though he saw himself primarily as a poet. His major works include The Savage Detectives, which won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize in 1999, and the posthumously published 2666, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 2008. The latter was described by board member Marcela Valdes as a 'work so rich and dazzling that it will surely draw readers and scholars for ages.' His books have been translated into numerous languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Dutch, and Greek. Bolaño's work is noted for its political undercurrents, described by friend Rodrigo Fresán as 'more personal than militant or demagogic, closer to the mystique of the beatniks than the Boom.' He died of liver failure in 2003 after a long period of declining health, while on a liver transplant waiting list.

Did You Know?

• Bolaño was dyslexic and often bullied at school.
• He was arrested after the 1973 Chilean coup and spent eight days in custody.
• He began writing fiction in his early forties to support his family financially.
• A collection of his verse spanning 20 years was published in 2000 as The Romantic Dogs.