Antonio Ungar
| Antonio Ungar | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1974 Bogotá, Colombia |
| Nationality | Colombian |
| Alma mater | National University of Colombia |
| Genre | Novels, short stories |
| Literary movement | Latin American post-Realism |
| Notable works | The Ears of the Wolf, Flyings Carrots, Three White Coffins |
Antonio Ungar (born 1974) is a Colombian writer.[1] Born in Bogotá he studied architecture at the National University of Colombia and worked as an architect before deciding to become a full-time writer. He spent some time at the famous Iowa Writing Program, formerly known as the Iowa Writers Workshop, which famous U.S. writers such as Raymond Carver, Philip Roth, and John Cheever attended. He is also the grandson of Hans Ungar,[2] an Austro-Hungarian immigrant who owned the "Librería Central (The Central Bookstore)" in Colombia's capital, Bogotá. The library became renowned for attracting various generations of intellectuals to either buy, discuss or steal (supposedly Garcia Marquez deeds) books from it.
He has published several collections of short stories and novels. His latest novel "Three White Coffins" relates a fictitious political intrigue, and mixes a large amount of factual political events with a fictional hero-antihero character. The main political characters of the novel mirror real recent political leaders of Colombia, suspected of close connections to paramilitary groups.
Short Stories
- Trece Circos y otros cuentos comunes (Thirteen circuses and other common tales)
Novels
- Zanahorias voladoras (Flying Carrots),
- Las orejas del lobo (The Ears of the Wolf; shortlisted for the Courier International Prize)
- Tres ataúdes blancos (Three White Coffins; winner of the Premio Herralde)
Ungar was one of the 39 young Latin American authors chosen as part of the Bogotá 39 project. Besides writing fiction, he has also worked as a journalist and translator.
He's married to the Palestinian writer Zahiye Kundos and they now reside in Jaffa-Tel Aviv but travel often to Colombia.