A story of politics, ballet, and a spectacular heist by a reluctant master thief and his eager young protégé. With prisons overflowing in Chile, the president declares a general amnesty for all nonviolent criminals. Ángel Santiago, a youth determined to avenge abuse he received in jail, seeks out the notorious bank robber Nicolás Vergara Grey, whose front-page exploits won him a reputation he would rather leave behind. Their plan for an ambitious and daring robbery is complicated by the galvanizing presence of Victoria Ponce, a virtuosic dancer and high-school dropout whose father was a victim of the regime. Praised for his “ability to place a personal story in the context of a national upheaval and make it warm, funny and universal” (San Francisco Chronicle), Antonio Skármeta sets this exuberant love story against the backdrop of the new Chile, free from the Pinochet dictatorship but beholden to the perils of globalization. The Dancer and the Thief, which won Spain’s prestigious Planeta Prize, is a remarkable new novel from one of South America’s finest storytellers.

The Dancer and the Thief: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Skármeta, Antonio

United States

W.W.Norton&Company

"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.

The Postman (Il Postino): A Novel

Genre Fiction

"Traps the reader from the first page with its political undertones and its undeniable charm." ―Isabel Allende
This "powerful, humane," prize-winning novel of politics, ballet, and a spectacular heist by a reluctant master thief and his eager young protégé, "conjures...a contemporary Santiago, Chile, where the memory of Pinochet's reign and the 'disappearing' of citizens still looms" (Publishers Weekly). With prisons overflowing in Chile, the president declares a general amnesty for all nonviolent criminals. Ángel Santiago, a youth determined to avenge abuse he received in jail, seeks out the notorious bank robber Nicolás Vergara Grey, whose front-page exploits won him a reputation he would rather leave behind. Their plan for an ambitious and daring robbery is complicated by the galvanizing presence of Victoria Ponce, a virtuosic dancer and high-school dropout whose father was a victim of the regime.
Praised for his "ability to place a personal story in the context of a national upheaval and make it warm, funny and universal" (San Francisco Chronicle), Antonio Skármeta sets this exuberant love story against the backdrop of the new Chile, free from the Pinochet dictatorship but beholden to the perils of globalization. The Dancer and the Thief, which won Spain's prestigious Planeta Prize, is a remarkable new novel from one of South America's finest storytellers. Reading group guide included.

Mario Jimenez, a young Chilean postman, tries to strike up a relationship with Pablo Neruda, the celebrated poet

BURNING PATIENCE

Dramas & Plays

Pantheon

Burning Patience

Methuen Publishing, Ltd.

La nueva novela por el aclamado autor de El cartero de Neruda, ganadora de un premio "Oscar" en su adaptación cinematográfica. Un médico de "mediana edad", felizmente casado y con múltiples responsabilidades y compromisos, atiende a una tenista de 16 años y se enamora de ella. No es una pasiónotoñal, simplemente se deja llevar por las circunstancias y disfrutar de lo que la vida le ofrece en ese momento. Prefiere lanzarse al abismo y arriesgarlo todo a permanecer en la inmovilidad de lo cotidiano. La locura en la que se ve envuelto el personaje es retratada de manera magistral y enormemente divertida por Antonio Skármeta, uno de los escritores latinoamericanos más exitosos de los últimos años.

La velocidad del amor

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Plaza Janes

In a village in Chile, Pedro and Daniel are two typical nine-year-old boys. Up until Daniel's father gets arrested, their biggest worry had been how to improve their soccer skills. Now, they are thrust into a situation where they must grapple with the incomprehensible: dictatorship and its inherent abuses. This sensitively realized story touches a nerve and brings home the uncomfortable fact that some children do encounter issues of this magnitude. Here, deft realism is brought to the page by Antonia Skarmeta's story and the edgy drawings of Alfonso Ruano, portraying a child's view of a repressive society. The Composition is a winner of the Americas Award for Children's Literature and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award.

The Composition

Children's Books

Mysteries & Detectives

GROUNDWOOD BOOKS *

Pedro is a nine-year-old boy whose main interest in life is playing soccer. The arrest of his friend Daniel's father and a visit to the school of an army captain who wants the children to write a composition entitled "What My Family Does at Night" suddenly force Pedro to make a difficult choice. The author's note explains what a dictatorship is and provides a context for this powerful and provocative story.

LA Insurreccion (Spanish Edition)

Ediciones Del Norte

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Books by Skármeta, Antonio

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Skármeta, Antonio. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Dancer and the Thief: A Novel

The Postman (Il Postino): A Novel

The Dancer and the Thief: A Novel

BURNING PATIENCE

BURNING PATIENCE

Burning Patience

La velocidad del amor

The Composition

The Composition

LA Insurreccion (Spanish Edition)