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Ariel was born on May 6th, 1942. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His parents are Adolfo Dorfman, Fanny Zelicovich Dorfman. -
Him and his family move to New York during WWll. His family moved to New York when he was two and a half years old, fleeing fascist persecution.
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Ariel lived in New York for 10 years before being forced to leave with his family to Chile. They were forced to leave due to the anti-communist sentiment stirred by Joe McCarthy. After leaving New York, they relocated to Chile.
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Ariel attended and got a degree in literature at the University of Chile. He than later was a professor at the University which made an impact since he was also able to learn and teach. -
Ariel officially became a Chilean citizen. Since he wasn't originally from Chile he had to wait to be able to become a citizen. -
He married Angélica Malinarich in 1966 before Dorfman became a Chilean citizen. Angelica is an English teacher and social worker. They have two children, Rodrigo and Joaquin. -
Ariel served as a cultural advisor to President Salvador Allende in Chile. Dorfman served as a cultural adviser becoming Chile’s first socialist president, whom the U.S. government actively opposed. -
Ariel and Angelica have their first son together Rodrigo Dorfman. -
Ariel has another son (Joaquín Dorfman) with his wife Angelica. Now Rodrigo Dorfman is a film director and Joaquín Dorfman is an American writer. -
He becomes a professor at Duke University in North Carolina for literature and Latin American studies. -
His play named Death and the Maiden which then premieres in London, directed by Jonathan Kent. Its about the complex interplay of trauma, justice, and the quest for truth in the aftermath of political oppression. Basically sharing the coexistence between people with different political views.. -
Ariel was able to create his film, Death and the Maiden, with the help of director Lindsey Posner and actors starring Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley.
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Play reader awarded at Kennedy Center; How to Read Donald Duck. (that critiques Disney comics from a point of view as capitalist propaganda for American corporate and cultural imperialism). -
Prisoners in Time, BBC teleplay co-written with Rodrigo Dorfman, his son, won the Best Feature Screenplay. -
Novel The Nanny and the Iceberg which appears in top papers (NYT, Guardian, L.A. Times). -
The Other Side and Purgatorio. A documentary feature film based on his life. -
A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman, based on his memoir had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. -
Ariel became successful he was able to have the opera versions of Death and the Maiden premiered in Malmo. -
Wins Chile’s National Prize for Literature
Awarded of his lifetime contribution. -
Short story All I Ever Have published in 2015. -
Ariel wrote in the Los Angeles Times about his life and the things he went through. Dorfman wrote on issues related to Latin American politics, American culture, war, and human rights, publishing essays in both English and Spanish.