Antonio Di Benedetto

Antonio di Benedetto was born in 1922 in Mendoza, Argentina, to parents of Italian descent. Although he studied law, he dedicated his career to journalism. In 1953, he published his first book, a collection of short stories titled "Mundo animal." "Zama," released in 1956, remains the pinnacle of his prose work. This was followed by "El silenciero" (1964) and "Los suicidas" (1969). These three novels form the informal Trilogy of Expectation. His award-winning work is considered groundbreaking for Latin American literature. He was highly regarded by prominent authors such as Borges and Cortázar. In 1976, he was imprisoned and tortured by Videla's dictatorship, never learning the reason for his arrest. After interventions by intellectuals, he was released in 1977 and went into self-exile in Spain. He never fully recovered from this traumatic experience. He returned to his homeland in the mid-1980s and passed away in Buenos Aires in 1986. "Zama" was adapted into a film by Lucrecia Martel in 2017.