Dates

• Existence: 1938-

Biography

Oscar Hahn, born in Iquique, Chile in 1938, began writing poetry early in life. He won the Student Federation of Chile's Prize in Poetry in 1959. When he published his first book of poetry, Esta Rosa Negra, in 1961, it included poems he had written between the ages of 17 and 19. He graduated from the University of Chile in 1963. He accepted an invitation to attend the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in 1971 and received his M.A. there in1972. He returned to Chile to join the faculty of the University of Chile, Arica, Santiago as professor of Hispanic literature. He was made an honorary fellow of the International Writing Program in 1972.

After Pinochet came to power on September 11, 1973, Hahn spent ten days in jail. There is a moving testimonial among these papers about those ten days and their aftermath, dealing in part with how it affected him as a writer. He emigrated to the United States in 1974, where he attended the University of Maryland at College Park. While he earned his Ph.D. there he also worked as an instructor. He received his degree in 1977, after which he took a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Spanish at the University of Iowa. In 1979, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Spanish-American Literature.

Hahn is considered one of the leading poets of his generation, sometimes called the Dispersed or Decimated Generation (Generacion Trilce). Although he published Esta Rosa Negra in 1961 and Agua Final in 1967, it was his third book Arte de Morir that catapulted him to fame. According to a biographical sketch contained in the collection, Critics praised the blend of fantastic, ironic, and realistic elements with which Hahn explores the theme of death and which led critics to associate him with postmodernism and surrealism. He continued to publish books of poetry, essays, and to be anthologized and to contribute essays to critical works. A fairly complete list of his publications is contained in the collection.

He eventually became a naturalized citizen of the US. He retired from the University in 2008 and returned to Chile.

He married Nancy Jorquera in 1971. They have one daughter.

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