Antonio Skármeta

The Postman
(Il Postino)

A Novel

Translated from the Spanish by Katherine Silver

“A jewel of a story.”—The New Yorker

The unforgettable inspiration for the Academy Award–winning Il Postino, this classic novel established Antonio Skármeta’s reputation as “one of the most representative authors of the post-boom generation in contemporary Latin American letters”(Christian Science Monitor). Boisterously funny and passionate, The Postman tells of young love ignited by the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Set in the colorful, ebullient years preceding the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, the book has been translated into nearly twenty-five languages around the world.

“A witty and imaginative meditation on the relationship between literature and reality, and a wry, affectionate depiction of youthful passion.”—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post

“Skármeta celebrates the joys of poetry and of the flesh, the power of the imagination.”—Engrique Fernandez, Village Voice

“Skármeta’s gift is the ability to place a personal story in the context of a national upheaval and make it warm, funny and universal.”—Carlos Alcala, San Francisco Chronicle

Antonio Skármeta was born in Antofagasta, Chile. His fiction has received dozens of international literary awards, including, most recently, the prestigious Planeta Prize in Spain for The Dancer and the Thief. He lives in Santiago, Chile.