Syria Poletti (10 February 1917 – 11 April 1991) was an Argentine writer who specialized in

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

Personal life

Syria Poletti's parents, José Poletti and Juana Pasquali, emigrated to Argentina from Italy when she was nine years old, leaving her in the charge of her grandmother, who fulfilled the role of mother. During her adolescence she lived in an orphanage. At age 21 she graduated and decided to travel to Argentina, but the spinal deformity scoliosis which she suffered from was an impediment to emigration. Her sister Beppina traveled to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

and was able to obtain a permit, allowing Syria to make the trip to the country where she would become a writer.

Career

Between 1939 and 1944 she was director of the Dante Alighieri school in

Cañada de Gómez Cañada de Gómez is a city in the . It is the head town of the Iriondo Department and is located about west of Rosario and from the provincial capital, on National Route 9. It has a population of about 29,000 inhabitants (). The town was fou ...

. In 1946 she graduated as a teacher and translator, receiving a degree from the

National University of Córdoba The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...

. After this she began journalistic activities in important media, and in 1953 started writing stories for the newspaper ''

La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal '' Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argentina. Its motto is: "''La Na ...

''. In 1954 she published ''Veinte poemas infantiles'' (Twenty Children's Poems). She also contributed to the magazine ''Vea y Lea'', where she wrote

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

. The publication of her first novel in 1961, ''Gente conmigo'', met with great success. It received the Losada International Award and the Municipal Prize of Buenos Aires, and was adapted into a film in 1965 (screenplay by Jorge Masciángoli, directed by Jorge Darnell). The novel was translated into German, Czech, English, and Italian. In 1965 Poletti was awarded the Doncel Prize in Madrid, for her short story book ''Botella al mar''. For her book ''Historias en rojo'', she again received the Municipal Prize of Buenos Aires in 1969. In addition she received the Ribbon of Honor from the Argentine Society of Writers, and the Grand Knight of the Star of Solidarity, given by the Italian government for her cultural work in Italy and Argentina. Poletti's work often dealt with the challenges faced by Italian immigrants in rural Argentina and in Buenos Aires. Along with

Ernesto Sabato Ernesto Sabato (June 24, 1911 – April 30, 2011) was an Argentine novelist, essayist, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary w ...

, she is regarded as one of the most influential Italo-Argentine writers.

Published works

* 1954 ''Veinte poemas infantiles''. * 1961 ''Gente conmigo'' (novel) * 1964 ''Línea de fuego'' (stories) * 1971 ''Extraño oficio (Crónicas de una obsesión)'' (novel) * 1972 ''Reportajes supersónicos'' (children's book) * 1977 ''Taller de imaginería'' * 1978 ''El misterio de las valijas verdes'' (children's novel) * 1981 ''Amor de alas'' (novel) * 1981/1982 ''El rey que prohibió los globos'' (children's story), Ediciones de Arte Gaglianone * 1985 ''Alelí y el payaso Bum Bum'' (children's book) * 1987 ''Cien cuentos de Syria Poletti'' (selection of children's stories) * 1988 ''Las hadas hacen dedo'' * 1989 ''...Y llegarán Buenos Aires'' * 1991 ''El terror de la selva'' * 1991 ''Una ventana a la vida'' * 1992 ''Las siete hermanitas''

Prizes and honors

* Losada International Award, 1961 * Second Municipal Prize, 1962 * First Municipal Prize, 1967 * Doncel International Prize for children's stories, Spain, 1965 * IBBY Prize (

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

) for children's work, Germany, 1972 * Sixto Pondal Ríos Award for established authors, 1984 * Award of the Argentine Chamber of Publications, 1984 * Award of the Argentine Association of Reading, 1984 * Platinum Konex Award for Children's Literature, 1984 * Diploma of Merit (Konex) for Children's Literature, 1984 *

Prize, Japan, 1985 * Distinction of '' Cavaliere Ufficiale'', given by the Italian government, 1988

References

External links

Story "En el principio era la cal"
at archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Poletti, Syria 1917 births 1991 deaths National University of Córdoba alumni 20th-century Argentine women writers 20th-century Argentine writers Argentine children's writers Argentine women children's writers Argentine women journalists Argentine women novelists Argentine women short story writers Italian emigrants to Argentina People from Belluno