Mario Benedetti facts for kids

Mario Orlando Hardy Hamlet Brenno Benedetti Farrugia (born September 14, 1920 – died May 17, 2009), known to most as Mario Benedetti, was a famous writer from Uruguay. He was a journalist, wrote many novels, and was a talented poet. He was a very important part of a group of writers called the Generación del 45. Even though he wrote over 80 books that were translated into twenty languages, he wasn't very well known in English-speaking countries. However, in Spanish-speaking countries, he is seen as one of Latin America's most important writers from the second half of the 20th century.

About Mario Benedetti

Mario Benedetti was born in Paso de los Toros, a town in Tacuarembó, Uruguay. His parents were Brenno Benedetti and Matilde Farrugia. When he was two, his family moved to Tacuarembó city. Later, his father lost money in a bad business deal, so they moved to Montevideo, the capital city. Life was tough financially for them there.

His Early Life and Education

Mario went to primary school at the Deutsche Schule in Montevideo for six years. There, he learned German, which later helped him become the first person to translate the famous writer Kafka's works in Uruguay. His father quickly took him out of the school when Nazi ideas started to appear in the classroom. After that, he studied at Liceo Miranda for two years, but he didn't go to a regular school for the rest of his high school years. During those years, he learned shorthand, a fast way of writing, which became his job for a long time.

Starting His Career

At age 14, Mario started working. He was a stenographer (someone who writes shorthand), a seller, a public officer, an accountant, a journalist, a radio broadcaster, and a translator. He learned a lot about journalism from Carlos Quijano, who worked at the weekly newspaper Marcha. Between 1938 and 1941, he lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, working in different jobs. In 1946, he married Luz López Alegre.

Mario was part of the 'Generation of 45'. This was a group of smart Uruguayan writers and thinkers. Some other famous members included Carlos Maggi, Idea Vilariño, and Juan Carlos Onetti. Mario also wrote for the well-known Uruguayan weekly newspaper Marcha from 1945. He became its literary director in 1954. The newspaper was sadly closed by the military government in 1973. In 1957, he traveled to nine countries in Europe as a reporter for Marcha and another newspaper called El Diario.

Time in Exile

From 1973 to 1985, Uruguay was ruled by a military government. During this time, Mario Benedetti had to live away from his home country, a period known as exile. He first went to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Then he moved to Lima, Peru, where he was arrested and sent away, but later given a pardon. In 1976, he went to Cuba, and the next year, he moved to Madrid, Spain. This time was especially hard because his wife had to stay in Uruguay to take care of their mothers. In 1980, he moved to Palma, Majorca.

Returning Home

Benedetti in Uruguay (1998?)

Mario Benedetti came back to Uruguay in March 1985, after democracy was restored. From then on, he split his time between Montevideo and Madrid. He received special honorary doctorates from universities in Uruguay and Spain. In 1986, he won the Laureate Of The International Botev Prize. On June 7, 2005, he was given the Menéndez Pelayo International Prize. Some of his poems were even used in a 1992 Argentine movie called The Dark Side of the Heart (El lado oscuro del corazón). In the movie, he read some of his own poems in German.

In 2006, Mario Benedetti signed a paper supporting the idea of Puerto Rico becoming independent from the United States.

His Later Years and Passing

In the last ten years of his life, Mario Benedetti suffered from asthma. He used to spend his winters in Madrid to avoid the cold weather in Uruguay. However, as his health got worse, he eventually stayed in Montevideo. In 2006, his wife, Luz López, passed away after more than sixty years of marriage.

Mario Benedetti died in Montevideo on May 17, 2009. He had been dealing with breathing and stomach problems for over a year. He is buried at the National Pantheon in the Central Cemetery of Montevideo.

Before he died, he told his personal secretary, Ariel Silva, what would be his very last poem:

His Amazing Work

Mario Benedetti won many international awards for his poetry and novels. His novel La Tregua (The Truce), first published in 1960, has been translated into over 20 languages. It even inspired a 1974 film also called The Truce.

Poetry

• 1945: La víspera indeleble ("Indelible Eve"), his first published book
• 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 ("Air From Exile")
• 1986: Preguntas al azar ("Random Questions")
• 1988: Yesterday y mañana ("Yesterday and Tomorrow")
• 1991: Las soledades de Babel ("The Loneliness of Babel")
• 1996: El amor, las mujeres y la vida. Poemas de amor. (Love, Women, and Life. Love Poems.)
• 2002: Insomnios y Duermevelas (Insomnia and Drowsiness)
• 2007: Vivir adrede (Living on Purpose)

Short Stories

• 1960: Montevideanos (People from Montevideo)
• Aquí se respira bien (It's Good to Breathe Here)
• Los pocillos (The Cups)
• La noche de los feos (The Night of the Ugly Ones)
• La sirena viuda (The Widowed Mermaid)

Essays

• 1960: El país de la cola de paja (The Country of the Straw Tail)

Plays

• 1958: Ida y Vuelta (Round Trip)
• 1979: Pedro y el capitán (Pedro and the Captain)

Novels

• 1953: Quién de nosotros (Which of Us)
• 1960: La tregua (The Truce)
• 1965: Gracias por el fuego (Thanks for the Fire)
• 1982: Primavera con una esquina rota (Spring with a Broken Corner)
• 1993: La borra del café (Coffee Grounds)
• 1996: Andamios (Scaffolding)
• 2003: El porvenir de mi pasado (The Future of My Past)

See also

In Spanish: Mario Benedetti para niños