Antonio Skármeta

The Postman (El cartero de Neruda) is a bittersweet tale of first love ignited by the power and passion of Pablo Neruda's timeless poetry.

Unlike the other men of his village, Mario balks at the prospect of life as a fisherman, choosing instead to become the postman for a beautiful island, just off the mainland. Although the island has a number of inhabitants, Mario has only one postal customer, the only literate resident, who is also Chile's most beloved poet, Pablo Neruda, who is living in exile.

The friendship between the postman and the poet blossoms, Mario begs Neruda for advice on how best to woo the voluptuous young barmaid, Beatriz, with whom Mario has fallen in love. As Neruda tutors him in the finer lessons of love, Mario discovers that he too has a gift for poetry. Soon the island air is thick with the exchange of sensuous metaphors.

In 1994 was adapted into the film Il Postino, directed by Michael Radford and Massimo Troisi.

"A jewel of a story."—The New Yorker

"Un canto emocionante a la poesía y al amor en sus más contundentes y jocundas expresiones de vitalidad." Miguel García-Posada, Babelia, El País