Haroldo Conti, 150px Haroldo Conti (May 25, 1925 – 1976?) was an Argentine writer, screenwriter, teacher and Latin professor. On May 5, 1976 he

disappeared An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...

during the

Proceso de Reorganización Nacional The National Reorganization Process (Spanish: ''Proceso de Reorganización Nacional'', often simply ''el Proceso'', "the Process") was the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983, in which it was supported by the United Sta ...

military dictatorship; on this day the "Día del Escritor Bonaerense" (Day of the Buenos Aires Province writer) is held to commemorate this date of his kidnap. In 2015, an English translation of his first novel, ''Southeaster,'' was published by

And Other Stories And Other Stories is an independent British book publisher founded in 2009, notable for being the first UK publisher of literary fiction to make direct, advance subscriptions a major part of its business model as well as for its use of foreign l ...

in the UK.

Biography

Conti was born in

Chacabuco Chacabuco is one of the many abandoned nitrate or "saltpeter" towns ("oficinas salitreras" in Spanish) in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Other nitrate towns of the Atacama Desert include Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works. Unlik ...

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 ...

. He was the son of Petronila Lombardi and Pedro Conti, who was the founder of the Chacabuco

Peronist party The Justicialist Party ( es, Partido Justicialista, ; abbr. PJ) is a major political party in Argentina, and the largest branch within Peronism. Current president Alberto Fernández belongs to the Justicialist Party (and has, since 2021, served ...

.Haroldo Conti.
Audiovideoteca de Buenos Aires. Literatura. (Spanish) He studied Philosophy at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one of the most prestigi ...

, he finished his studies in 1954 and wrote the film ''La bestia debe morir'' ("The beast must die"). In 1955 he married Dora Campos and together they had two children: Alejandra and Marcelo. He later formed a home with Marta Acuña (also Scavac) and they had a son together, Ernesto, in early 1976. Conti discovered the

Paraná Delta The Paraná Delta ( es, Delta del Paraná) is the delta of the Paraná River in Argentina and it consists of several islands known as the Islas del Paraná. The Paraná flows north–south and becomes an alluvial basin (a flood plain) between t ...

through his future wife, Dora Campos, who took him boating there before they were married, and came to love the place he would fly over as a qualified civil pilot. They first rented, and later bought a house on one of its islands near Tigre. The Delta features in "Sudeste" and appears in other of his works. He also gave a hand in the renovation of a boat hull to launch the "Alejandra", which he kept as long as he had the money to sail her. A keen sailor, he was once shipwrecked off the Uruguayan coast in the "Atlantic" yacht. In 1962 he published his first novel ''Sudeste'' (translated as "South-East" - second edition titled "Southeaster"), which won the Fabril Prize and appeared on the

Primera Plana ''Primera Plana'' was a weekly glossy political, cultural and current affairs magazine published in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 1962 and 1973. The magazine was very influential in shaping the journalism tradition in the country. History and ...

best-sellers list in 1963. In 1964 his book of short stories ''Todos los veranos'' ("Every Summer") received the second Premio Municipal. In 1967 his novel ''Alrededor de la jaula'' ("Around the cage") won an award at the Veracruz University in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The novel "En vida" ranslated as "In Life" was awarded the Premio Barral in Spain in 1971, Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel García Márquez being amongst the jurors. Between 1967 and 1976 he taught

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

at Liceo Nacional Nº 7 in

. In the early 1970s he travelled to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

as a jury member for the

Casa de las Américas Casa de las Américas is an organization that was founded by the Cuban Government in April 1959, four months after the Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which ...

. He continued to win prizes and awards for his work and in 1975 his final novel ''Mascaró, el cazador americano'' ("Mascaró, the American hunter") won the

Casa de las Américas Prize The Casa de las Américas Prize (''Premio Literario Casa de las Américas'') is a literary award given by the Cuban Casa de las Américas. Established in 1959, it is one of Latin America’s oldest and most prestigious literary prizes. The award ...

. Conti was warned by a serving officer at the time of the military coup in March 1976 that his name was included on a list of "subversive agents". He was detained with Marta Acuña (who managed to escape with her daughter and Ernesto) at their apartment at Fitz Roy Street 1205,

on May 5, a house that has since been extensively remodelled. In 1979, the Ministry of Education sent a letter claiming that Conti had retired in order to "carry out various tasks". He is currently included on the list of the permanently disappeared.

Works

Novels

* (1962) ''Sudeste'' - (2015) ''Southeaster (''trans. Jon Lindsay Miles). And Other Stories, UK. * (1966) ''Alrededor de la jaula'' * (1971) ''En vida'' (2018) "In Life" (trans. by Jon Lindsay Miles) Immigrant Press, Spain. * (1975) ''Mascaró el cazador americano'' - (2018 republished)

Other

Examinado (1956),unpublished; a one-act play

Short stories

* Todos los veranos (1964) * Con otra gente (1967) (o Perdido) * La balada del álamo Carolina (1975) * Las doce a Bragado * Ad Astra * Los novios

Legacy

A number of his works have been made into films including "Crecer de golpe" (1977), based on "Alrededor de la jaula" and "Sudeste" (2003). In 2002 a telefilm of his story, "Los perfumes de la noche" directed by Santiago Palavecino was broadcast. His house on the Gambados river was dedicated as a museum to the life of Conti in 2009.

References

External links

*
Biography - timeline
*
List of works
*

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Haroldo 1925 births 1976 deaths People from Buenos Aires Province Male screenwriters Argentine male short story writers Argentine male writers People killed in the Dirty War Date of death missing People killed in Operation Condor 20th-century Argentine screenwriters 20th-century Argentine male writers