Three decades after his passing, the life and legacy of Jorge Teillier Sandoval are being remembered—a poet who found his greatest inspiration in the simplicity of everyday life. Originally from Lautaro, the writer spent his final days in a wooden house in Cabildo, far from the urban bustle.
According to reports from latercera.com, Teillier lived near the El Molino de Ingenio sector in the Valparaíso Region. His life in the countryside reflected a deep-seated desire for direct contact with the essential elements of the earth.
The poet maintained a profound connection with his surroundings. In an interview with TVN'sEl Miradorprogram in the early 1990s, Teillier recounted that although he had 16 cats, he only looked after one named Pedro. “I believe that living through the everyday is quite essential—the small things, the small world,” he remarked at the time.
His final days
The author's health took a severe turn in 1992 due to a cirrhosis crisis. As cited by the source, poet Francisco Véjar recalls that Teillier even received extreme unction at the Catholic University Clinical Hospital.
Despite the severity of his condition, Dr. Víctor Charlín managed a miraculous recovery through a strict diet of legumes, egg whites, and medicinal herbs such asllanténandmatico. This treatment allowed the poet to live for another four years.
However, Teillier's fate remained tied to his own will. In the volumeNostalgia del Futuro, lawyer Armando Uribe Arce described Teillier as a spontaneous and authentic poet who projected a sense of vulnerability.
Véjar notes that following the recovery, the doctor informed the family that the poet's liver had partially regenerated. The mistake, however, was communicating this to Teillier himself. The poet resumed drinking in late 1992 and did not stop until one week before his death.
“He was in love with death because, as he himself acknowledged, he committed suicide slowly,” Véjar relates. The author showed no regret for his decisions, facing the consequences of his actions before those around him.
