Arturo Belano is the alter ego of the Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño. The given name is due to that of Arthur Rimbaud, French poet for whom Bolaño felt great admiration.[1] The character's first appearance was in the novella Distant Star, where it is implied he is the narrator, while his most prominent role was in The Savage Detectives where he and fellow writer Ulises Lima are the central characters. Belano also appears in several short stories and in the novella Amulet; he is of the same age and nationality as Bolaño, with many shared elements in their biographies including a move from Chile to Mexico in their teens with their families, traveling around the world, and finally settling in Spain.