Roberto Bolaño

Roberto Bolaño (1953–2003) was a Chilean novelist, short story writer and poet, one of the most influential Spanish-language writers of his generation. Note on the supplied facts: the data given here describes a Galician playwright and actor, Roberto Vidal Bolaño, born in Santiago de Compostela, who is a different person. The author of the books on this page was born in Santiago, Chile, and spent his life moving between Chile, Mexico, Spain and elsewhere. He began as a poet in Mexico City, where he helped found the infrarealist movement, and later settled in Catalonia, where he worked odd jobs while writing. He turned mainly to fiction in the 1990s and became widely known only in his last years. His books explore exile, political violence, literary ambition and the dark side of culture, often through restless wandering characters. After his early death from liver failure, his reputation grew greatly, especially after his translations into English.