[4] At the age of fourteen he published his poems for the first time in the newspaper El Colono de Traiguén, beginning a career as a writer that would last throughout his life.

[3] In his youth he held the most diverse jobs: coal miner in Lota,[5] truck driver, pharmacy clerk, until 1961 when he was hired as a journalist in the newspaper La Patria, in Concepción,[3] and radio trainer at the María Elena nitrate office, in the middle of the Atacama desert.

In this early period of his career Manns also composed the cantata El Sueño Americano (The American Dream) (1965), which he recorded with the folk group Voces Andina and that amalgamates distinctive rhythmic elements from different regions of the sub-continent.

As the musicologist Juan Pablo González has stated: "... in his 27 years of exile, Manns established with Horacio Salinas one of the most fruitful creative collaborations in the history of Chilean music".

From this period of work with Salinas and Inti-illimani we find the grains of songs which with time would grow to become true emblems of the Latin America folk/popular music repertoire: such as El Equipaje del Destierro (The Baggage of Exile), Palimpsesto (Palimpsest) (1981), Cantiga de la Memoria Rota (Verses for a Shattered Memory) and Samba Landó (1985).

Subsequently, other songs of this collaborative period included Medianoche (Midnight), Arriesgare mi piel (I'll Risk My Skin) (1996) and La Fiesta Eres Tú (You Are the Party) (1998).

In this stage of exile Manns reached a high point in his creativity with the Concert of Trez Vella (1986), a piece that was arranged by Alejandro Guarello, also dedicated to Alejandra.

On TVN, he performed for the first time in Chile his emotionally charged Cuando Me Acuerdo de Mi País (When I Remember My Country) before an anxious public in the studio and before a nationwide audience.

From this tour of Chile, which included Santiago, Concepción, Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, Manns would comment: "... for now I have accomplished the basic priority of setting foot in my country again".

Horacio Salinas collaborated with Patricio Manns in the production of his first record as a soloist Remos en el Agua (Oars on the Water) released in November 2003.

Manns also participated in Inti-Illimani's DVD Lugares Comunes (Common Places) recorded live in the Estadio Nacional de Chile.

Manuel Meriño put music to Manns now famous poem Vino del Mar (She Came from the Sea) dedicated to Marta Ugarte one of the victims of the Chilean military dictatorship,[11] song which was recorded by Inti-Illimani's Lugares Comunes (Common Places) in 2003.

In 2005 he recorded with the Ulli Simon Ensemble in Germany; in 2006 he collaborated in composing songs for Inti-Illimani's album Pequeño Mundo (Small World) and Esencial (Essential).

He also recorded a CD of ballads and boleros titled Porque Te Amé (Because I Loved You) which was highly received in countries like Mexico and Peru.

The movie – which featured Gian Maria Volonté in the principal role - caused great controversy and unease among conservative circles in Chile at the time of its release.