The Postman (Il Postino): A Novel [Paperback]

Antonio Skármeta (Author), Katherine Silver (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2008

"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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A tender book about a simple man and what he learns about poetry, love, politics and life from his friend Pablo Neruda. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (February 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393330397
• ISBN-13: 978-0393330397
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly "Il Postino", July 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Postman (Il Postino) (Paperback)

Though it must be granted that "Il Postino" was a fabulous film, I have to admit being very shocked at how much better the book was. Perhaps it was because of Neruda's role in the film versus the movie. In the movie, he doesn't truly become human until the end of the film. In the book, it's fairly obvious from the beginning. Also, there were several amazing love scenes in the book that were left out of the movie. I think that it actually hurt the characters not to have those love scenes, or, in some cases, some of the witty dialogue that occurred in the novel. As a read, this is VERY short, but delightful. It was full of information and images, managing to explain the civil war without letting it bog down the story. It was truly a coming of age story combined with love and politics that, honestly, can only be found in someone like Neruda's life. Firstly a love poet, it's wonderful to me that he will always be that first and a political component second, though he was very much so a Communist. Neruda has a way of causing the bones to melt with the flow of language. Amazing...and the mother in the book KNOWS exactly how dangerous metaphors are...and that, too, was amazing. I think this is definitely a read for those who want a love story that not too obvious, a political tale that's not too heavy, or a coming of age tale that is not too cloying.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A poetic look at Neruda's postman, August 17, 2001

By 

Rashed Chowdhury - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Postman (Il Postino) (Paperback)

My first reaction on opening this book was one of surprise: the book, unlike the movie, is completely Chilean, with no Italian connection whatsoever. As such, the book, in my view, fits better into its context than the movie did.

This is the story of one Mario, who becomes a postman once Isla Negra, an island off the coast of Chile, gets a literate resident, Pablo Neruda. Mario is an admirer of Neruda's works, and is determined to form a personal bond with the poet, with a veiw to getting a coveted autograph. When Mario falls in love with the local beauty Beatriz, however, his bond with Neruda becomes much more than that of an autograph-seeker: the poet recognises a fellow dreamer in Mario, and helps him in his quest of love.

The story is presented in a ceremonial language sometimes verging on the pompous, as in "He was bathed in the light of the incommensurable moon and felt certain, as he stroked her neck, that he knew about infinity." Skármeta's choice of words only adds to the charm of the novella, though. As the author shows in his prologue to "The Postman", he does not take his own verbosity seriously, using it, rather, to add an ironic touch to an otherwise idyllic tale.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Postman questions the role of "letters" in Latin America, October 26, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Postman (Il Postino) (Paperback)

On one level The Postman is the comical story of how Mario the postman seduces Beatriz with the help of Pablo Neruda. But it is also about the role "letters" play in the political process, and more specifically their role during the period of Salvador Allende's rise to the presidency in Chile and his subsequent fall when his government was overthrown by a brutal CIA-sponsored coup.

Throughout the novel Mario is a symbol of the rise of Allende's Popular Unity government, and the major events in the narrative are related to political events. For example, Mario first sees Beatriz the day that Neruda is asked to run for President of Chila. Neruda leaves the race when Allende decides to run again, and the day that Allende is elected Mario and Beatriz make love for the first time.

Mario's poetic apprenticeship with Neruda is also part of the political transformations of the time. Mario eventually becomes a different type of "man of letters." Not only does he become a capable poet, but when Neruda is in France as Chile' Ambassador, Mario studies French.

At the moment of the coup, Mario's role becomes more overtly political. He first courageously goes to the post office and retrieves Neruda's mail. He memorizes the mail and then sneaks into Neruda's house, which is surrounded by the military. Although Neruda wants Mario to recite poetry, Mario recites for Neruda offer of political asylum from countries all over the world.

The night that Neruda dies in a Santiago hospital, Mario is taken away. He is never seen again. The narrative we are told is written because Beatriz wanted Mario's story told. In a play based on the novel, Beatriz, her mother and her baby march on the stage in silent protest as the play ends. In the recent film of the same name, Beatriz is nothing more than a voyeuristic delight, and the class boundaries between Mario and Neruda are carefully maintained. In the Spanish text of the novel, when Mario has finished reciting the mail to Neruda, Neruda asks to go to the window. As they move to the window, the narrator says, "they moved as though they were one man." This line is unfortunately not in the English translation.

Skarmeta has told of accompanying the historical Neruda on political campaigns. On one occaision they visited an area poopulated by overworked and poverty-stricken workers who were familiar with the bulk of Neruda's poetry. More than anything this novel is about "letters" that can break barriers between workers and intellectuals and between culture and its historical and political exigencies.