Pablo Vierci in conversation with Judith Vélez

Society of the Snow

Arequipa 2024, Friday 8 November 2024

The Uruguayan writer Pablo Vierci is the author of the book Society of the Snow, which tells a true story, one that is both unthinkable and extraordinary, which has inspired the striking film of the same name. In 1972, flight 571 of the Uruguayan Air Force crashed in the Argentinean Andes en route from Montevideo to Santiago de Chile. On board was a team of young rugby players who were going to attend a tournament with some friends and family. The book recreates the incredible story of the 16 young men who survived the snow at 4,000 metres above sea level, without any communication with the outside world, or food or shelter, facing the death of their loved ones. Vierci, who went to school with the survivors, started to write the book in 1973. In conversation with Judith Vélez, he will talk about the story, which has been with him for over half a century, and the great work that came out of it.