Luis Sepúlveda, a well-acclaimed Chilean writer who was exiled by Augusto Pinochet during the 80s, has recently died of COVID-19. Famous for his 1992 novel, "The Old Man Who Read Love Stories" and 1966's "The Story of a Seagull and The Cat Who Taught Her to Fly," Sepúlveda is definitely a literary icon.

The writer first started to show symptoms for COVID-19 late-February after he got back home to Spain from an event in Portugal. Then, on March 1, Sepúlveda was confirmed to be the first COVID-19 case in the Asturias region, his home for two decades.

According to Asturias president, Adrian Barbon, health care providers, and workers did everything they couLd to save the writer's life, but he was not able to recover. The government leader expressed his condolences to Sepulveda's family, as well.


The Writer, Appreciated for his Simple Humor as Reflected in His Works

Sepúlveda work, appreciated for their representations of the South American life and humor, have mostly been translated in around 50 countries. His work ranges from screenplays and novels to children's stories.

Sepúlveda was famous in Europe, a place he had been since the 1980s. Born in Ovalle in 1949, he was also known as a political activist at a young age. His first participation in political activist movement was with the Communist Youth of Chile, then, with the Socialist party. 

In 1975, Sepulveda was imprisoned, reportedly for sedition for two-and-a-half years under Pinochet's military regime. The dictatorship of Pinochet lasted for 17 years, which was when roughly 38,000 people got tortured, and 3,200 either disappeared or got killed.

Following mediation from Amnesty International, the renowned novelist was freed conditionally to house arrest. He then fled and lived underground for almost one year before he got captured again and penalized to 28 years of imprisonment.


Sentence Changed to Eight Years in Exile

After receiving support from the Amnesty, Sepúlveda's sentence was lowered to eight years in deportee. While he was traveling to Sweden for a teaching job there, the writer escaped again while on a stopover in Argentina.

From Argentina, he went straight to Paraguay. Sepulveda never went back to Chile to live there. He eventually lost his nationality until 2017. After he left his homeland, the renowned writer traveled within Latin America.

It's in this region where Sepulveda formed theater groups in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. During the late 70s, the writer spent one year living with the native Shuar citizens in Amazon.

Remarkably, they were featured in "The Old Man Who Read Love Stories," a novel with a uniting call for redefining the relationship of humans with nature. Available in more than 30 languages, his book became a worldwide success.

Then, in 2001, Rolf de Heer directed the film edition, which featured Richard Dreyfuss. After 1982, the celebrated novelist lived in Europe, initially in Hamburg, where his career as a journalist started and sailed the seas with Greenpeace for many years. 

It was in 1996 when Sepúlveda settled in Asturias with Carmen Yáñez, his wife, a poet who had experienced some torturing under the Pinochet administration.


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