Poetics of Antonio Skármeta's Novels

The thesis focuses on the poetics and style of the novels of Antonio Skármeta (1940-2024). Its aim is to analyze his works No pasó nada (1980), Soñé que la nieve ardía (1975), El cartero de Neruda (1985), and Insurrección (1982). In the introduction, the author is situated within a literary context, and his life and work are outlined. The thesis then concentrates on the key themes, motifs, and artistic devices present in his novels, as well as on the specific style in which the selected works are written. Skármeta's novels are characterized by numerous recurring motifs and narrative strategies, such as the presence of a young narrator typical of the bildungsroman, the depiction of major historical events linked to the political regime of dictatorship that intrude into the personal lives of the characters, as well as love and everyday settings. The objective of the thesis is to describe these narrative strategies in order to arrive, in the conclusion, at a comprehensive discussion of the poetics of Skármeta's novels. Keywords Antonio Skármeta, poetics of the novel, dictatorship novel, hispanic american bildungsroman, young narrator