None of his other works have been translated into English. The Underside of Argentina In 1929, Arlt published The Seven Madmen, which was to be his only English-language success and his most notable novel. On the day his column appeared each week, El mundo sold twice as many copies as on other days. His daily columns for El mundo, “Aquafuertes porteñas” (“Porteño Etchings”), appeared from 1928 to 1942 (compiled first in book form in 1936) and earned him nationwide fame. However, this work turned out to be more than that. He began his journalistic work as a way to make money and to introduce himself into Argentine literary circles. He interned with writer and journalist Ricardo Guiraldes from 1925 to 1927 and published with Guiraldes's magazine, Prow. Journalist Between 19, at the same time he was starting his fiction-writing career, Arlt began writing for newspapers. He spent much of his free time in the taverns, especially the café La Punalada, and shady spots of Buenos Aires, making the acquaintance of the seedy patrons who would later populate his writing. He left home two years later and worked odd jobs while aspiring to be a writer.įrom 1919 to 1920, Arlt served in the Argentine armed forces in Córdoba and attended the Naval School of Mechanics. Although Roberto was expelled from school at the age of eight, he read widely and published his first story at fourteen. Neither spoke Spanish particularly well German was spoken at home.

His father had served in Bismarck's German army, while his mother was Italian.

School Dropout Arlt was born on April 2, 1900, in Buenos Aires, Argentina to European immigrants. Works in Biographical and Historical Context Arlt is also noted for his “Aguafuertes porteñas” -,“etchings,” of Buenos Aires life: collected essays whose language and tone are still admired by Argentine writers.

Premised on what he considered a breakdown of the philosophical and religious values of Western civilization, his fiction and dramas concern the plight of individuals contending with “the inevitably crumbling social edifice,” frequently depicting social unrest, urban alienation, deviant behavior, sexual maladjustment, and class hostility. Lauded by critics for exploring innovative themes in his narratives and in the theater, Roberto Arlt was one of the most influential figures in Argentine literature during the first half of the twentieth century.

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