The Autodidact is a novel inspired by Hernán Rivera Letelier’s own experiences, especially his discovery of literature and writing when he was young man working in one of the last saltpetre mines in northern Chile. To the backdrop of an anthology of Chilean poetry that conveys the sheer power and joy to be found in literature, the narrator recounts his love for a young woman and his rivalry for her affection with a newly arrived boxer turning heads all over town.