Abel Posse facts for kids

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Abel Parentini Posse (born January 7, 1934 – died April 14, 2023) was an important Argentine writer, essayist, poet, and diplomat. He also worked in politics.

Posse wrote many novels and essays, and also worked as a journalist. His stories won several important awards. In 2012, he became a member of the Argentine Academy of Letters, which is a big honor for writers.

He worked as a diplomat for Argentina from 1966 to 2004. This meant he lived in many different countries. Posse also wrote for major newspapers in Argentina and Spain. He was the editor of a journal about strategic studies. He wrote about 400 articles, some of which were collected in books like Argentina, el gran viraje (2000).

Early Life and Education

Abel Parentini Posse was born on January 7, 1934, in Córdoba, Argentina. His family moved to Buenos Aires when he was two years old because of his father's job. His mother's family, the Posse family, were wealthy landowners from Galicia who owned large sugar mills. A famous relative from his mother's side was Julio Argentino Roca, who was president of Argentina twice in the late 1800s. Posse wrote about his family's history in his novel El inquietante día de la vida (2001).

His father, Ernesto Parentini, was from Buenos Aires (a porteño means someone from Buenos Aires) and had Italian parents. He helped start a film company called Artistas Argentinos Asociados. He also produced the famous movie La guerra gaucha (1942). Growing up, Abel Posse was surrounded by artists and cultural events in Buenos Aires. He wrote about his memories of the city in his novel Los demonios ocultos (1987).

He met many famous Argentine actors and musicians, including Eva Duarte (who later became Eva Perón) and tango composers like Aníbal Troilo. This helped him learn a lot about tango music and culture, which he used in his novel La reina del Plata (1988).

Posse loved reading books from his father's library. When he was eight, he even wrote and drew his own small books and sold them to his grandmother! He went to Colegio La Salle for primary school and the prestigious Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires for high school (1946-1952). During these years, he became friends with people who introduced him to Buenos Aires's literary world.

One of his teachers, Vicente Fatone, taught him about Eastern philosophy. This sparked Posse's interest in mysterious ideas, which you can see in his novels like Los demonios ocultos and El viajero de Agartha. When he was 13, in 1943, he started writing a novel set in ancient Rome, but he never finished it.

University Life in Buenos Aires

Posse studied law in Buenos Aires until 1958. Besides his studies, he enjoyed the exciting nightlife of Buenos Aires. At that time, Buenos Aires was a major center for publishing books in Spanish. Many writers and thinkers who had left Spain because of the Spanish Civil War lived there. Posse spent many nights in Buenos Aires cafés, where he learned more about Russian and French literature, German philosophy, and Eastern spirituality.

In these lively places, he met famous writers like Jorge Luis Borges, Eduardo Mallea, and Rafael Alberti. He became good friends with poets Conrado Nalé Roxlo and Carlos Mastronardi, as well as Borges. Borges helped him publish his first short stories and poems in the newspaper El Mundo.

During these years, Posse became interested in Peronism, a political movement led by Juan Perón. Even though his family was against Peronism, he was impressed by the large public event on October 17, 1945. He also admired Eva Perón's strength and the public sadness when she died in 1952. Posse described his university years and the Buenos Aires nightlife as a "golden age." He wrote about this time in his novels La reina del Plata (1988) and La pasión según Eva (1994), which tells the story of Eva Perón's last days.

After serving in the military in 1955, Posse finished his university studies in 1958. That same year, he wrote a movie script called "La cumparsa," which won an award. It was about a group of sheep shearers in Patagonia.

Travels to Europe

After graduating, Posse decided to travel to Europe. He received a scholarship to study Political Sciences at La Sorbonne university in Paris. Before leaving, he published his first poem, "Invocación al fantasma de mi infancia muerta," in a literary newspaper. While in Europe, he rode a motorbike across the Alps to visit his sister in Italy.

During this time, he read a lot of poetry by German writers like Hölderlin and Rilke. In Paris, he attended lectures by famous French political scientists and met the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. He also fell in love with a German student named Wiebke Sabine Langenheim, who later became his wife. She helped him explore German literature and philosophy, which greatly influenced his writing. In 1961, he spent time in Tübingen, Germany. That same year, his poem "En la tumba de Georg Trakl" won a prize in Buenos Aires. While in Tübingen, he read works by Hölderlin, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. It was also there that he started writing his first novel, Los bogavantes, which he finished in 1967.

Becoming a Diplomat

Posse returned to Buenos Aires in 1962. He taught constitutional law at the University of Buenos Aires and also started working as a lawyer, though he wasn't very excited about it. Sabine came to Argentina, and they got married. In 1965, he joined the Argentine Foreign Service after passing a public exam. From then until 2004, he lived mostly outside Argentina. Most of his books were written while he was abroad, but he always felt strongly about his Argentine identity. He believed that being far away helped him see things more clearly, as the writer Ricardo Güiraldes once said.

Moscow (1966–1969)

Abel Posse's only son, Ivan, was born in Moscow in January 1967. While in the Russian capital, Posse finished his first novel, Los bogavantes. This book was set in Paris and Seville and followed three characters, two students and a diplomat. It explored the political ideas of the early 1960s. Posse submitted the novel for a prize using a fake name, Arnaut Daniel. When it was published in Argentina in 1970, it won an award. Later, when it was published in Barcelona in 1975, some parts that made fun of army officers were removed by censors. This unusual event made him known to important literary agents and publishers.

Lima (1969–1971)

In 1969, Abel Posse was sent to Peru, where he worked as the cultural secretary at the embassy in Lima. In Peru, he discovered the ancient Inca culture, which he called the "revelation of the Americas." This experience made him feel more connected to his own Argentine roots. A visit to the ancient city of Machu Picchu inspired him to write a long poem called Celebración de Machu Picchu in 1970. He also wrote another important poem, Celebración del desamparo, which was considered for a prize but he chose not to publish it.

During these years, he read works by famous Latin American writers. He also studied the life of Argentina's national hero, General José de San Martín. In 1971, he became a member of the Sanmartiniano Institute in Lima. In Peru, he wrote his second novel, La boca del tigre (1971), which was inspired by his time in the Soviet Union. This novel explored his doubts about strong political ideas and criticized how power was used. It also made him think about the idea of "Americanness," which became a key theme in his later works, especially his "Trilogy of the Discovery of America."

Venice (1973–1979)

Posse became the Consul General for Venice, Italy, in 1973 and lived there for six years. Here, he wrote Daimon (1978), the first book in his "Trilogy of the Discovery of America." The main character of this novel is a fictional version of the Spanish conqueror Lope de Aguirre, who was known for being cruel. In the story, Aguirre comes back to life after his death and travels through four centuries of Latin American history. He sees the same problems happening again and again, and his rebellion against them seems useless. This novel was important for Posse's writing style, as it used humor, parody, and other playful elements. Daimon was nominated for a major literary prize in 1982.

While in Venice, many of Posse's friends and fellow writers visited him, including Jorge Luis Borges. He also met other famous authors like Alejo Carpentier and Italo Calvino. In 1973, he visited the German philosopher Martin Heidegger. In 1979, Posse and his wife Sabine published a Spanish translation of one of Heidegger's works. After a short trip to Buenos Aires in 1975, he wrote a novel called Momento de morir (1979), which reflected the political violence happening in Argentina at the time. The story shows a character who fights against military repression and helps bring back democracy.

Paris (1981–1985)

In 1981, Posse became the director of the Argentine Cultural Centre in Paris. There, he wrote The dogs of paradise (1983), the second part of his "Trilogy." This novel, which won the Rómulo Gallegos Prize in 1987, is about Christopher Columbus. It questions the official history of the conquest of the Americas and uses humor and different writing styles to explore the clash of cultures when the Spanish arrived. The book was translated into many languages and made Posse known as a leading writer of "New Historical Novels" in Latin America.

Between 1982 and 1985, Posse also edited a collection of 15 Argentine poets in both Spanish and French. This project aimed to share Argentine poetry with a wider international audience. In November 1983, Posse helped organize a tango festival in Paris called "Tango argentin." He wanted to show the original, traditional tango, different from the more modern "tango for export."

Israel (1985–1988)

After his son passed away, Posse moved from Paris and was appointed Minister at the Argentine embassy in Tel-Aviv, Israel. There, he wrote three new novels. Two of them, Los demonios ocultos (1987) and El viajero de Agartha (1989), were about Nazism. Los demonios ocultos tells the story of a young Argentine man searching for his father, a German scientist who was sent on a mission to Central Asia by the Third Reich. The story takes place during World War II and in Argentina during its last military dictatorship. El viajero de Agartha is an adventure and spy novel, told through the diary of the German scientist on his mission in Tibet.

His third novel from this period, La reina del Plata (1988), is a tribute to Buenos Aires. It is set in a future Buenos Aires where society is divided. The main character thinks about the city's past and present, often in the setting of cafes and streets filled with tango music.

Prague (1990–1996)

In 1990, Posse was promoted to Ambassador by President Carlos S. Menem and was sent to Prague, Czech Republic, for six years. This was a very productive time for him. He wrote his literary essay Biblioteca essential (1991), where he listed the 101 most important books in world literature and his own favorite Argentine books.

In Prague, Posse also wrote El largo atardecer del caminante, the final novel in his "Trilogy of the Discovery of America." This book won a major international prize in 1992. In this story, the main character is the conqueror Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, who looks back on his life and his true adventures in America. Posse's Cabeza de Vaca embraces his mixed identity and believes that "only faith can cure, only kindness heals," suggesting how the conquest should have happened.

This thoughtful, personal style continued in his next book, La pasión según Eva (1994). This is a fictional biography of Eva Perón, showing her last nine months of life as she looks back. Posse also included stories from people who knew her, to give a deeper understanding of this powerful woman beyond political ideas.

Lima (1998–2000)

As ambassador to Lima, Peru, Posse wrote another biographical novel, Los cuadernos de Praga (1998). This book is about Che Guevara, a famous figure of the 20th century. Posse learned during his time in Prague that Che Guevara had lived secretly in the city for almost a year after a defeat in Congo. Like his previous novel about Eva Perón, this book uses a personal diary format to tell the story. Posse's goal was not just to tell the facts of Guevara's life, but to explore his destiny beyond political ideas.

After returning to Latin America from his European postings, Posse wrote more opinion pieces for newspapers in Mexico, Venezuela, Spain, and Argentina. He arrived in Peru during a tense time, after a hostage crisis at the Japanese embassy. Posse praised the Peruvian president's actions against the rebels. He also spoke out against international trials of former leaders, saying they interfered with countries' internal affairs. His articles often talked about Argentina's role in regional trade and its natural resources. Many of these articles were collected in his book Argentina, el gran viraje (2000). His return to Peru also renewed his interest in José de San Martín, which inspired his short story "Paz en guerra" (2000).

Copenhagen (2001–2002)

In 2001, Posse published El inquietante día de la vida, which won a Literary Prize from the Argentine Academy of Letters. The main character is Felipe Segundo Posse, based on one of his ancestors who owned sugar mills in Argentina in the late 1800s. The story begins when Felipe is diagnosed with tuberculosis and decides to leave his family to travel to Egypt in search of the poet Rimbaud. The novel also includes fictional versions of historical figures like Domingo F. Sarmiento and Julio A. Roca, celebrating Argentina's growth around the turn of the 20th century.

Madrid (2002–2004)

After a short time at UNESCO in Paris, Posse was appointed Argentine ambassador to Spain. This was a very important job, especially after Argentina's financial crisis in 2001, as many Argentines with Spanish heritage moved to Spain. Posse was in Madrid during the terrible terrorist attacks on March 11, 2004.

Deeply worried about Argentina's crisis, Posse wrote more opinion pieces for La Nación newspaper. He supported regional cooperation, national independence, and called for Argentina to rebuild itself, remembering national heroes like Sarmiento and Eva Perón. In 2003, he published another collection of political articles called El eclipse argentino. De la enfermedad colectiva al renacimiento, which tried to outline a plan for the country.

When Néstor Kirchner became president, some media outlets suggested Posse as a good candidate for foreign affairs minister because of his diplomatic experience. However, some people criticized him for not leaving his diplomatic post during the previous military dictatorship and for supporting the Fujimori government in Peru. In the end, another person was appointed minister, and Posse continued as ambassador in Madrid until he retired in 2004 and returned to Argentina.

Later Years in Buenos Aires (2004–2023)

After retiring, Posse became more involved in opposing the Kirchner government. He wrote critical newspaper columns, linking the president and his supporters to extreme left-wing groups from the 1970s. He also disagreed with restarting trials against military members and with the government's memory policies, which he called incomplete. He gave many talks about the state of the nation. In 2007, he supported Eduardo Duhalde for president and ran for a senate position himself.

In 2005, he published En letra grande, a collection of essays about writers and thinkers who influenced him. In 2006, he published a best-selling book of political essays called La santa locura de los argentinos. In this book, he tried to understand Argentina's history from colonial times to the last century, calling for citizens to work together for the country's future.

Towards the end of 2009, Posse accepted the position of Minister of Education for the City of Buenos Aires, offered by Mauricio Macri. However, just a day after taking office, he published a controversial article in La Nación called "Criminality and cowardice." In it, he said that rock music made young people less intelligent and criticized the government's crime policies, demanding stronger measures. He also rejected reopening trials against military regime members and repeated his accusations against Kirchner. This article and his appointment caused many protests from unions, students, rock musicians, and social media users. Some media outlets also accused Posse of having close ties to the previous dictatorship. Because of all this, Posse resigned from his new job after only 11 days.

In 2011, he published Noche de lobos, a novel based on the true story of a female Montonero leader (a left-wing guerrilla group) who was held captive and tortured. The book explores the conflicts between urban guerrillas and the military, showing both sides involved in violent acts. It also talks about "Stockholm syndrome," where a captive develops feelings for their capturer. This novel has a personal connection for Posse, as the female guerrilla fighter gave him her typed story in the early 1980s when he was at the Argentine embassy in Paris.

After resigning as Minister of Education, Abel Posse continued to live in Buenos Aires. He gave talks, especially about Sarmiento's ideas on education, and wrote frequently for newspapers. He remained critical of the Kirchner government and worried about Argentina's future. In November 2012, he became an elected member of the Argentine Academy of Letters. In May 2014, he also became a member of the National Academy of Education.

Abel Posse passed away on April 14, 2023, at the age of 89.

List of works

Novels

Los bogavantes (1970)
La boca del tigre (1971)
Daimón (1978)
Momento de morir (1979)
Los perros del paraíso (1983)
Los demonios ocultos (1987)
La reina del Plata (1988)
El viajero de Agartha (1989)
El largo atardecer del caminante (1992)
La pasión según Eva (1994)
Los cuadernos de Praga (1998)
El inquietante día de la vida (2001)
Cuando muere el hijo (2009)
Noche de lobos (2011)
Vivir Venecia (2016, forthcoming)

Essays

Biblioteca essential (1991)
Argentina, el gran viraje (2000)
El eclipse argentino. De la enfermedad colectiva al renacimiento (2003)
En letra grande (2005)
La santa locura de los argentinos (2006)
Sobrevivir Argentina (2014)
Réquiem para la política. ¿O renacimiento? (2015)

Poetry

“Invocación al fantasma de mi infancia muerta”, El Mundo, Buenos Aires, 13/03/1959.
“En la tumba de Georg Trakl”, Eco, Revista de la cultura de Occidente, Bogotá, n°25, 05/1962, p. 35-37.
“Georg Trakl 1887-1914”, La Gaceta, San Miguel de Tucumán, 1/02/1987.
Celebración del desamparo, 1970 (unpublished).
Celebración de Machu Pichu (1977)

Short stories

“Cuando el águila desaparece”, La Nación, 17/08/1989.
“Paz en guerra”, en Relatos por la paz, Amsterdam: Radio Nacional Holanda, 2000, p. 67-75

Translations

Martín Heidegger, El sendero del campo, traducción de Sabine Langenheim y Abel Posse, Rosario: Editorial La Ventana, 1979, 58 p.

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