2008 Woodie Awards
Leaving the land
Audra Beals - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 4/21/05 Section: 80 Hours
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He gets the question a lot. No one ever understands why an internationally published, best-selling author is studying in Iowa City. Why leave his native Chile for, of all places, the UI? And why leave Latin America to get a Ph.D. in Latin American literature? Somehow, it seems counterintuitive. But he has his reasons.
Roberto Ampuero's nine novels and one collection of short stories have been published across Latin America and Europe. By 2006 they will even have made their way to China. Pirated editions are also turning up, which somewhat inadvertently indicates the level of his success - this only happens to writers whose books are sure to sell well.
And they do.
In Chile alone, his books have sold 200,000 copies. The 52-year-old author said that with the country's population of approximately 15 million, selling 200,000 books is equivalent to selling several million here in the United States.
Several of his novels focus on Cayetano Brulé, his recurring detective character who investigates social conflicts around the world. This figure is so popular there is even the "Route of Cayetano Brulé" in Chile, where people trace the steps of his famous protagonist through the restaurants and other places mentioned in the novels.
But while Ampuero's novels have received worldwide acclaim, they still haven't found their way to the bookshelves in this country - in English, that is. And because American audiences have not yet been introduced to him, he remains virtually unrecognized here. He doesn't miss the fame, though.
"In Chile, people realize who you are, and here, nobody knows that," he said. "I like that, because I am absolutely anonymous."
Basking in that anonymity, he continues writing, but his life is far more complicated than it initially appears. He's here at the UI as a graduate student studying Latin American literature and teaching several sections in the Spanish department. In addition to the dissertation he plans to complete within the next year, he writes a Sunday column for La Tercera, one of the two most influential newspapers in Chile. His topics include the United States, international politics, culture, and often Iowa City.
Roberto Ampuero's nine novels and one collection of short stories have been published across Latin America and Europe. By 2006 they will even have made their way to China. Pirated editions are also turning up, which somewhat inadvertently indicates the level of his success - this only happens to writers whose books are sure to sell well.
And they do.
In Chile alone, his books have sold 200,000 copies. The 52-year-old author said that with the country's population of approximately 15 million, selling 200,000 books is equivalent to selling several million here in the United States.
Several of his novels focus on Cayetano Brulé, his recurring detective character who investigates social conflicts around the world. This figure is so popular there is even the "Route of Cayetano Brulé" in Chile, where people trace the steps of his famous protagonist through the restaurants and other places mentioned in the novels.
But while Ampuero's novels have received worldwide acclaim, they still haven't found their way to the bookshelves in this country - in English, that is. And because American audiences have not yet been introduced to him, he remains virtually unrecognized here. He doesn't miss the fame, though.
"In Chile, people realize who you are, and here, nobody knows that," he said. "I like that, because I am absolutely anonymous."
Basking in that anonymity, he continues writing, but his life is far more complicated than it initially appears. He's here at the UI as a graduate student studying Latin American literature and teaching several sections in the Spanish department. In addition to the dissertation he plans to complete within the next year, he writes a Sunday column for La Tercera, one of the two most influential newspapers in Chile. His topics include the United States, international politics, culture, and often Iowa City.
