Álvaro Mutis

Álvaro Mutis (1923–2013) was a Colombian poet, novelist, and essayist. Though he was born in Colombia, he lived in Brussels until he was eleven years old. His first collection of poetry was published in 1948, and his first short stories appeared in 1978. Mutis is best known for his award-winning novellas, published in the United States in two collections, Maqroll and The Adventures of Maqroll. His body of work includes La Nieve del Almirante (1986; Eng. The Snow of the Admiral, 1995), Ilona llega con la lluvia (1987; Eng. Ilona Comes with the Rain, 1995), La última escala del Tramp Steamer (1989; Eng. The Tramp Steamer’s Last Port of Call, 1995), and Abdul Bashur, soñador de navíos (1991; Eng. Abdul Bashur, Dreamer of Ships, 1995). His most famous book is Empresas y Tribulaciones de Maqroll el Gaviero (Eng. The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll), consisting of seven novellas.