in addition to composition, catán had a fruitful career as a writer on music and the arts, reflective of his knowledge of world literature. in 1998, catán received the plácido domingo award for his contribution to opera, and he received a guggenheim fellowship in 2000. his last completed opera, "il postino", whose premiere featured plácido domingo in the role of pablo neruda, is based on the 1983 novel "ardiente paciencia" by antonio skármeta and the 1994 film "il postino" by michael radford; it premiered at the los angeles opera in september 2010.