Francisco Coloane
Encyclopedia
Francisco Coloane Cárdenas (July 19, 1910, Quemchi
, Chiloé Province
– August 5, 2002) was a Chile
an novelist and short fiction writer whose works have been translated into many languages. Some of his books were adapted to theatre and film.
, and his literary career expanded from Perros, Caballos y Hombres ("Dogs, Horses and Men") in 1935 to the publication of his memoirs Los Pasos del Hombre (The Steps of Man) in 2000.
Among his most famous works (translated into English, French, Italian, Greek, German, Polish and Dutch) are: La Tierra del Fuego
se Apagó (Tierra del Fuego Has Burnt Out, 1945), Golfo de Penas (Gulf of Sorrow, 1957), El Camino de la Ballena (The Whale's Path, 1962), El Guanaco Blanco (The White Guanaco, 1980), and El Corazón del Témpano (The Heart of the Iceberg, 1991).
Coloane was awarded the Premio Nacional de Literatura (Chilean National Prize for Literature
) in 1964. In 1997, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
(Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Republic, where he won considerable notoriety for his work in the 1990s.
Coloane was an active member of the Communist Party of Chile
for most of his adult life, and a lover of nature who celebrated his 89th birthday by swimming in the freezing waters of the Pacific Ocean - which in his opinion kept him “vital and active”.
Miguel Littín
's movie, Tierra del fuego
, is based on a work by Coloane.
Following his death, the Chilean government recognized him as a central figure of 20th-century Chilean literature.
Quemchi
Quemchi is a Chilean town and commune in Los Lagos Region, located in the eastern shore of Chiloé Island. It acquired certain celebrity because the famous Chilean writer Francisco Coloane was born nearby the town.-History:...
, Chiloé Province
Chiloé Province
Chiloé Province is one of the four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Los Lagos . It encompasses all of Chiloé Archipelago with the exception of the Desertores Islands. The province spans a surface area of...
– August 5, 2002) was a Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an novelist and short fiction writer whose works have been translated into many languages. Some of his books were adapted to theatre and film.
Biography
He was born in the southern Chilean island of ChiloéChiloé Island
Chiloé Island , also known as Greater Island of Chiloé , is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean...
, and his literary career expanded from Perros, Caballos y Hombres ("Dogs, Horses and Men") in 1935 to the publication of his memoirs Los Pasos del Hombre (The Steps of Man) in 2000.
Among his most famous works (translated into English, French, Italian, Greek, German, Polish and Dutch) are: La Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of , and a group of smaller islands including Cape...
se Apagó (Tierra del Fuego Has Burnt Out, 1945), Golfo de Penas (Gulf of Sorrow, 1957), El Camino de la Ballena (The Whale's Path, 1962), El Guanaco Blanco (The White Guanaco, 1980), and El Corazón del Témpano (The Heart of the Iceberg, 1991).
Coloane was awarded the Premio Nacional de Literatura (Chilean National Prize for Literature
Chilean National Prize for Literature
Chile's National Prize for Literature was created by Law No. 7,368 during the presidency of Juan Antonio Ríos on 8 November 1942. It consists of a lump-sum monetary prize and a life-time monthly stipend . It was originally awarded every year until the amendments introduced by Law No...
) in 1964. In 1997, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
(Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Republic, where he won considerable notoriety for his work in the 1990s.
Coloane was an active member of the Communist Party of Chile
Communist Party of Chile
The Communist Party of Chile is a Chilean political party inspired by the thoughts of Karl Marx and Lenin. It was founded in 1922, as the continuation of the Socialist Workers Party, and in 1934 it established its youth wing, the Communist Youth of Chile .In the last legislative elections in Chile...
for most of his adult life, and a lover of nature who celebrated his 89th birthday by swimming in the freezing waters of the Pacific Ocean - which in his opinion kept him “vital and active”.
Miguel Littín
Miguel Littin
Miguel Ernesto Littín Cucumides is a Chilean film director, screenwriter, film producer and novelist. He was born to a Palestinian father, Hernán Littin and a Greek mother, Cristina Cucumides....
's movie, Tierra del fuego
Tierra del fuego (film)
Tierra del fuego is a 2000 Chilean drama film directed by Miguel Littín. It is about the conquest of Tierra del Fuego by Julius Popper. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:...
, is based on a work by Coloane.
Following his death, the Chilean government recognized him as a central figure of 20th-century Chilean literature.
Selected works
- Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn, 1941)
- El último grumete de la Baquedano (1941)
- La Tierra del Fuego se apagó (Tierra del Fuego Has Burnt Out, 1945)
- Golfo de Penas (1945)
- Los Conquistadores de la Antártida (1945)
- Tierra del Fuego (1956), translated by David Petreman and Howard Curtis, Europa Editions (2008) ISBN 1-933372-63-X
- El Camino de la ballena (The Whale's Path, 1962)
- El Chilote Otey y otros relatos (1971)
- Cuentos completos (Complete Stories, 1999)