South America-II

Argentina

Sara Gallardo: Born into an affluent family in Buenos Aires and a great-great-granddaughter of Bartolomé Mitre, Gallardo became a prominent observer and critic of the Argentine aristocracy. She married twice, first to Luis Pico Estrada and then to H. A. Murena. Her publishing career, which began in 1958, included numerous columns, essays, five novels, a collection of short stories, children's books, and travelogues.

Following the death of her second husband in 1975, Gallardo moved with her children to La Cumbre, and later to Barcelona in 1979, where she penned her final book, La Rosa en el Viento. She did not complete any further work despite her travels in Switzerland and Italy. Upon her return to Argentina, she passed away at 56 from an asthma attack. Gallardo left notes for a planned biography of Edith Stein, and the Sara Gallardo Novel Prize was established in her honor in 2021. Her books in our catalog can be found here,

Alicia Dujovne Ortiz: Forced into exile by the Argentine military dictatorship in 1978, Dujovne Ortiz is a Jewish author and philosopher educated in Buenos Aires, recognized with a Simon Guggenheim fellowship and a Konex Award, currently residing in Toulouse, with contributions to Le Monde, Gallimard publishing, and biographies of María Elena Walsh, Diego Maradona, and Eva Perón. Please click here to locate her books in our catalog.

Angélica Gorodischer: After moving to Rosario as a child, where she grew up surrounded by books, Angélica chose her husband's surname, Gorodischer, as her literary pseudonym. Studying at Normal School No. 2 and briefly at the National University of the Litoral, she began publishing in 1964 with the detective story “En verano, a la siesta y con Martina”. Awarded two Fulbright scholarships, she participated in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa and taught at the University of Northern Colorado. As one of Latin America's leading female voices in science fiction, she was a jury member for numerous literary awards from 1967 to 2022. For locating her books in our catalog, click here.

Luisa Valenzuela Levinson: She was born on 26 November 1938. She is an Argentine novelist and short story writer known for her experimental and feminist style. Her notable works, such as "Como en la guerra" (1977), "Cambio de armas" (1982), and "Cola de lagartija" (1983), critique the 1970s dictatorship in Argentina while examining patriarchy and power dynamics in gender and sexuality.

Ecuador

Dolores Veintimilla de Galindo (1829-May 23, 1857) was an Ecuadorian poet best known for her poem "Quejas" (Complaints). Born in Quito, she married Dr. Sixto Antonio Galindo y Oroña and had a son, Santiago. After her husband left for Central America, she turned to literature. She wrote "Necrologia," criticizing the death penalty and the mistreatment of indigenous people, which led to public backlash and her isolation. She died by suicide on May 23, 1857, in Cuenca. Her notable works include "Fantasía" (Fantasy) and "Recuerdos" (Recollections), as well as poems like "Aspiración" (Aspiration), "Desencanto" (Disenchantment), and "Anhelo" (Yearning). Her writing style is known for its rhythmic and musical verse.

Alicia Yánez Cossío, born on September 10, 1928, in Quito, is a prominent Ecuadorian writer who started her literary journey in her youth. She earned a scholarship to study journalism in Madrid and lived in Cuba from 1956 to 1961. Upon returning to Ecuador, she taught literature and wrote extensively.

Her notable works include "Luciolas," "Bruna, soroche y los tíos," "Yo vendo unos ojos negros," "El cristo feo," and "Sé que vienen a matarme." Throughout her career, she received several awards, including the Premio Nacional Eugenio Espejo in 2008. She is regarded as a key figure in Ecuadorian and Latin American literature.

Colombia

Laura Restrepo, born in 1950 in Bogotá, Colombia, is a renowned author known for blending journalism and fiction. Her prominent works include "Delirio," "The Dark Bride," and "Isle of Passion". Restrepo's writing often explores themes of political and social issues in Colombia.

María Teresa Ramírez, born June 17, 1944, in Corinto, Cauca, is a Colombian poet and writer. Known as the "Hurricane of Poetry," her work, such as La noche de mi piel (1988), reflects her Afro-Colombian roots and explores themes of identity and heritage. She has also contributed to the study of Afro-Colombian culture and literature, earning recognition for her poetry.

Venezuela

María Calcaño, born in Maracaibo in 1906 and passed away in Caracas in 1956, was a Venezuelan poet known for her subversive erotic themes. Her poetry, which defied her contemporaries' conventional aesthetics and social topics, gained recognition posthumously. Her first poetry collection, Alas fatales (1935), was poorly received, but her later works, including Canciones que oyeron mis últimas muñecas (1956), established her as a pioneering voice in Venezuelan literature. Calcaño is celebrated as the first Venezuelan poet to embrace modernity through the freedom and enjoyment of expression. UC Berkeley's holdings are here.

Enriqueta Arvelo Larriva (March 22, 1886- December 10, 1962) was a notable Venezuelan poet. She pioneered the women's poetry movement in Venezuela and was one of the country's leading avant-garde poets. Born into a wealthy family in Barinitas, Venezuela, Arvelo Larriva was the sister of fellow poet Alfredo Arvelo Larriva. A self-taught individual, she spent most of her life in Barinitas, working as a teacher and nurse on her family's estate. Arvelo Larriva was part of the Viernes Group of poets. In 1958, she received the Municipal Poetry Prize for her work "Mandato del canto" (1957).

Luz Machado (1916-1999) was a distinguished Venezuelan poet, essayist, and diplomat born in Ciudad Bolívar. She played a significant role in Venezuelan literature and was an active member of the country's feminist movement. Machado was the founder of the Circle of Venezuelan Writers and a member of the Bolivarian Society. Some of her notable literary works include "Ronda," "Variaciones en tono de amor," and "Canto al Orinoco." Throughout her career, she received several prestigious awards, such as the National Prize for Literature in 1987 and the Order of Francisco de Miranda in 1993.

Paraguay

Amelia "Chiquita" Barreto Burgos, born in 1947 in Caaguazú, Paraguay, is a writer and professor at the Universidad del Norte. She works with the Union of Women for Mutual Help and student theater projects. She graduated from the Catholic University of Paraguay. On December 11, 2015, she received the Roque Gaona Literary Prize for her novel, "Los nombres que habito." In 2017, she published "¿Dónde van los gatos cuando llueve?" and "Tiempo y Destiempo."

Peru

Claudia Ulloa Donoso, born in Lima in 1979, now resides in Norway. She completed her master’s degree in Spanish literature there and teaches both Spanish and Norwegian. She has published short story collections such as El pez que aprendió a caminar and Little Bird, the latter being the first full-length translation by Lily Meyer.