Bentos, Carlos 1941–

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Bentos, Carlos 1941–

PERSONAL: Born February 2, 1941, in Montevideo, Uruguay; immigrated to the United States, c. late 1960s; married and divorced twice. Hobbies and other interests: Fishing (licensed charter fishing captain).

ADDRESSES: Home—Annapolis, MD. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Tarcher Publicity, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: El Caribe (restaurant chain), Washington, DC, owner, 1974–c. 2000; Fathoms Grill, West Ocean City, MD, currently general manager and co-owner; commentator for Voice of America.

MEMBER: Ocean City (Light Tackle) Marlin Club (former president).

AWARDS, HONORS: Winner of over thirty fishing competitions, including White Marlin Open, 1996; also named Fisherman of the Year, Captain of the Year, Mate of the Year, and his ship was named Boat of the Year.

WRITINGS:

A Crew of One: The Odyssey of a Solo Marlin Fisherman, Jeremy P. Tarcher (New York, NY), 2002.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A book of poems in Spanish.

SIDELIGHTS: An immigrant Uruguayan who established a highly successful chain of restaurants in the Washington, DC, area and also became a radio commentator for Voice of America, Carlos Bentos is well known as a champion marlin fisherman. Having fished since he was a boy, he became passionate about sea fishing after moving to the American East Coast, where he bought a boat and became highly skilled at catching deep-sea fish. He writes about his lifelong relationship with the sea, his ship, and fishing in his debut work, A Crew of One: The Odyssey of a Solo Marlin Fisherman. The work relates memories of his life, along with tips on fishing and tales of his sailing experiences. Several reviewers maintained that it is best suited to audiences who are already fishing aficionados, "but landlubbers should glean some interesting tidbits," according to David Pitt in Booklist. A Publishers Weekly contributor considered the writing style to be merely "competent," however, Library Journal contributor Edwin B. Burgess remarked that Bentos "has an easy style" that forms "a pleasant and undemanding narrative." Despite some reservations about the quality of the writing from other critics, Pitt concluded that A Crew of One is "a resonant autobiography."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Bentos, Carlos, A Crew of One: The Odyssey of a Solo Marlin Fisherman, Jeremy P. Tarcher (New York, NY), 2002.

PRIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2002, David Pitt, review of A Crew of One, p. 1373.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2002, review of A Crew of One, p. 537.

Library Journal, May 1, 2002, Edwin B. Burgess, review of A Crew of One, p. 108.

Publishers Weekly, April 29, 2002, review of A Crew of One, p. 55.

Washington Post, May 20, 1997, Angus Phillips, "Solo at Sea, He's in a League of His Own"; July 29, 1999, Angus Phillips, "Middle-aged Man and the Sea."