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Contributor

Juan Emar

Contributor

Juan Emar

Juan Emar was the pen name of Álvaro Yáñez Bianchi (1893-1964). He was the son of an influential politician and diplomat, and he lived intermittently between Santiago and Paris. In Paris, he was associated with surrealist groups, and he took the name Juan Emar because of its connection to the French phrase "J'en ai marre" (I'm fed up). Between 1935-1937, he published four books: Miltín, Un año, Ayer y Diez, which were largely ignored in Chile as he managed to upset the dominant literary circles of his time. In the 1970s, and more recently, his work was reissued in Chile, and he is now thought of as one of the most important 20th century Chilean and South American fiction writers, and seen as a precursor to writers like Julio Cortázar and Juan Rulfo.

Articles by Juan Emar

From “Ayer”
By Juan Emar
If they show up, one by one I will grab them by the neck with my left hand and, with that machete in the right, I’ll stir their guts until they fall down dead, dead, dead!
Translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell
from “One Year”
By Juan Emar
An Introduction to Juan Emar by Pablo Neruda1I knew Juan Emar intimately and yet I never knew him. He had great friends who he never met. Women who never touched more than his skin. A relative they put…
Translated from Spanish by Daniel Borzutzky