When people ask who have been the most influential writers of all time, who do you think of? Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Twain or Kerouac could, of course, be included in the list, but what about influential writers outside the United States? Did you know there are many Latin American writers that have inspired different generations, and that a great number of them are Nobel Prize winners?
Well, today is your lucky day because we'd like to introduce you to some of these famous and talented scribes. You might have heard of them or maybe even read one of their books, but we're sure that by the end of this article you might feel motivated to practice your Spanish with the rest of their work.
Latin American literature was influenced in a big way by different events linked to the many wars for independence fought around the continent. As this was happening, people wrote about identity, resistance and human rights through different styles, inspired by past literary movements such as romanticism and realism.
Magical realism was the style that defined the "Latin American Boom" in the 20th Century, a genre in which the author expresses a very realistic view of the world adding magical or fantastic elements; Colombian writer Gabriel GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez was one of its most famous exponents. This literary movement gained traction after the end of World War II, and it was around that time when some of its most popular works were published.
There are hundreds of writers that have influenced our society through the years. We wish we could mention them all, but we'll have to limit ourselves to cover only a few of the most recognized authors ever.
(Photo credit: notimerica.com/cultura)
Born in 1914 in Mexico City, Paz was introduced to literature at a very early stage through his grandfather's library. At the age of 17, Octavio Paz published his first poems, and a couple of years later, in collaboration with other friends, founded a monthly magazine that included critical articles and literary recommendations.
Paz left the city in 1937 to become a teacher and, at the same time, he worked in what would become some of his most famous poems. He had the chance to study at the University of California at Berkeley and later moved to Paris, where he wrote: "El Laberinto de la Soledad" (The Labyrinth of Solitude), his most famous work, described as an analysis of modern Mexico and the Mexican personality.
In 1990 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Eight years later he died in the same city he was born in.
Pablo Neruda
Well, today is your lucky day because we'd like to introduce you to some of these famous and talented scribes. You might have heard of them or maybe even read one of their books, but we're sure that by the end of this article you might feel motivated to practice your Spanish with the rest of their work.
A Brief Introduction
Latin American literature was influenced in a big way by different events linked to the many wars for independence fought around the continent. As this was happening, people wrote about identity, resistance and human rights through different styles, inspired by past literary movements such as romanticism and realism.
Magical realism was the style that defined the "Latin American Boom" in the 20th Century, a genre in which the author expresses a very realistic view of the world adding magical or fantastic elements; Colombian writer Gabriel GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez was one of its most famous exponents. This literary movement gained traction after the end of World War II, and it was around that time when some of its most popular works were published.
There are hundreds of writers that have influenced our society through the years. We wish we could mention them all, but we'll have to limit ourselves to cover only a few of the most recognized authors ever.
Octavio Paz
(Photo credit: notimerica.com/cultura)
Born in 1914 in Mexico City, Paz was introduced to literature at a very early stage through his grandfather's library. At the age of 17, Octavio Paz published his first poems, and a couple of years later, in collaboration with other friends, founded a monthly magazine that included critical articles and literary recommendations.
Paz left the city in 1937 to become a teacher and, at the same time, he worked in what would become some of his most famous poems. He had the chance to study at the University of California at Berkeley and later moved to Paris, where he wrote: "El Laberinto de la Soledad" (The Labyrinth of Solitude), his most famous work, described as an analysis of modern Mexico and the Mexican personality.
In 1990 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Eight years later he died in the same city he was born in.
Pablo Neruda
(Photo credit: fundacionneruda.org)
Another winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971, Neruda is known as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. Before changing his name in honor of a Czech poet, he was born in 1904 as Ricardo Eliecer NeftalÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂ Reyes Basoalto in Parral, Chile.
His poems and articles started being published in daily newspapers since he was 13. In 1924 his first book, 20 Poemas de Amor y Una Canción Desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair), was published and would become one of his most renowned works.
Neruda was in constant controversy because of his political preferences; he left Chile several times but always came back. He continued to write from wherever he was and through the years he received prestigious awards such as the International Peace Prize in 1950 and the Lenin Peace Prize in 1953.
Just two years after winning the Nobel Prize, Pablo Neruda died at the age of 69. His suspicious death is still a matter of discussion.
Gabriela Mistral
(Photo credit: taringa.net)
She is the third Nobel Prize winner in our list. In fact, in 1945 she became the first Latin American author to ever receive the prestigious award.
Born as Lucila Godoy in Vicuña, Chile, in 1887, she began writing poetry in her teenage years, and by the age of 15, she had published her first poems in a local newspaper using different pseudonyms. She started using the name Gabriela Mistral in 1909 for most of her poetry, which was influenced by the death of her boyfriend.
Her first book, "Desolación" (Desolation), was written years before it was published in 1922, and it was a collection of poems about motherhood, religion, nature, and morality. That book and "Sonetos de la Muerte" (Sonnets of Death, 1914) made her a household name all through Latin America.
Before her death in 1957, she had the chance to teach Spanish literature at Columbia University and held honorary degrees from the universities of Florence and Guatemala.
Gabriel GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez
(Photo credit: wapa.pe)
"Cien Años de Soledad" (One Hundred Years of Solitude) and "El Amor en Tiempos del Cólera" (Love in the Time of Cholera) are his most renowned books, and the former led him to win the Nobel Prize in 1972.
Writer and journalist Gabriel GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia, in 1927. He and his other 11 siblings grew up listening to their grandparents' stories, which very much influenced his passion for writing. After his successful high-school years and many poems published in magazines, GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez started law school in Bogotá, but once he finished it he decided to become a journalist, profession in which he proved to be outstanding.
"Crónicas de Una Muerte Anunciada" (Chronicle of a Death Foretold) and "Noticia de un Secuestro" (News of a Kidnapping) are two books in which he combines journalism and realism. GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez died in Mexico City in 2014, at the age of 87.
Julio Cortázar
(Photo credit: las2orillas.co)
He is one of the most significant Argentinian writers of all time. Even though he was born in Belgium in 1914, his parents were born and raised in Argentina, the country where he lived since he was 5 years old until the age of 37, when he decided to move to Paris.
In 1932, when he was still a teenager, he started working as a teacher in two high schools in the Buenos Aires province, and later decided to study Philosophy and Language at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He never finished so he didn't receive a degree.
Cortázar wrote most of his work while living in Paris, including "Bestiario" (1951), a book of short stories, and "Rayuela", (1963) his most famous novel, known for its non-linear style. "Rayuela" is often referred to as a counter-novel or antinovel, since it establishes its own conventions, and some chapters are written in a language invented by Cortázar himself.
Julio Florencio Cortázar died in 1984 at the age of 69 in Paris, France. His unique writing style influenced an entire generation of Spanish-speaking readers and writers in America and Europe.
Now that you've read our list of some of Latin America's most talented and famous writers, do any of their books sound familiar? Remember that you can improve your Spanish skills by reading a few minutes every day. You'll realize it gets easier every time!
References:
http://www.fundacionpaz.org.mx/
https://journals.openedition.org/babel/2571
https://www.biography.com/people/pablo-neruda-9421737
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1945/mistral/biographical/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A1rquez
https://therussianabroad.com/10-greatest-latin-american-writers/
https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/a-brief-list-of-significant-latin-american-writers
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julio-Cortazar
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/julio-cortazar-4912.php
(Photo credit: taringa.net)
She is the third Nobel Prize winner in our list. In fact, in 1945 she became the first Latin American author to ever receive the prestigious award.
Born as Lucila Godoy in Vicuña, Chile, in 1887, she began writing poetry in her teenage years, and by the age of 15, she had published her first poems in a local newspaper using different pseudonyms. She started using the name Gabriela Mistral in 1909 for most of her poetry, which was influenced by the death of her boyfriend.
Her first book, "Desolación" (Desolation), was written years before it was published in 1922, and it was a collection of poems about motherhood, religion, nature, and morality. That book and "Sonetos de la Muerte" (Sonnets of Death, 1914) made her a household name all through Latin America.
Before her death in 1957, she had the chance to teach Spanish literature at Columbia University and held honorary degrees from the universities of Florence and Guatemala.
Gabriel GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez
(Photo credit: wapa.pe)
"Cien Años de Soledad" (One Hundred Years of Solitude) and "El Amor en Tiempos del Cólera" (Love in the Time of Cholera) are his most renowned books, and the former led him to win the Nobel Prize in 1972.
Writer and journalist Gabriel GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez was born in Aracataca, Colombia, in 1927. He and his other 11 siblings grew up listening to their grandparents' stories, which very much influenced his passion for writing. After his successful high-school years and many poems published in magazines, GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez started law school in Bogotá, but once he finished it he decided to become a journalist, profession in which he proved to be outstanding.
"Crónicas de Una Muerte Anunciada" (Chronicle of a Death Foretold) and "Noticia de un Secuestro" (News of a Kidnapping) are two books in which he combines journalism and realism. GarcÃ?Ã??Ã?Ã?Ã?ÃÂa Márquez died in Mexico City in 2014, at the age of 87.
Julio Cortázar
(Photo credit: las2orillas.co)
He is one of the most significant Argentinian writers of all time. Even though he was born in Belgium in 1914, his parents were born and raised in Argentina, the country where he lived since he was 5 years old until the age of 37, when he decided to move to Paris.
In 1932, when he was still a teenager, he started working as a teacher in two high schools in the Buenos Aires province, and later decided to study Philosophy and Language at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He never finished so he didn't receive a degree.
Cortázar wrote most of his work while living in Paris, including "Bestiario" (1951), a book of short stories, and "Rayuela", (1963) his most famous novel, known for its non-linear style. "Rayuela" is often referred to as a counter-novel or antinovel, since it establishes its own conventions, and some chapters are written in a language invented by Cortázar himself.
Julio Florencio Cortázar died in 1984 at the age of 69 in Paris, France. His unique writing style influenced an entire generation of Spanish-speaking readers and writers in America and Europe.
Now that you've read our list of some of Latin America's most talented and famous writers, do any of their books sound familiar? Remember that you can improve your Spanish skills by reading a few minutes every day. You'll realize it gets easier every time!
References:
http://www.fundacionpaz.org.mx/
https://journals.openedition.org/babel/2571
https://www.biography.com/people/pablo-neruda-9421737
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1945/mistral/biographical/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A1rquez
https://therussianabroad.com/10-greatest-latin-american-writers/
https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/a-brief-list-of-significant-latin-american-writers
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julio-Cortazar
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/julio-cortazar-4912.php
(Photo credit: las2orillas.co)
He is one of the most significant Argentinian writers of all time. Even though he was born in Belgium in 1914, his parents were born and raised in Argentina, the country where he lived since he was 5 years old until the age of 37, when he decided to move to Paris.
In 1932, when he was still a teenager, he started working as a teacher in two high schools in the Buenos Aires province, and later decided to study Philosophy and Language at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. He never finished so he didn't receive a degree.
Cortázar wrote most of his work while living in Paris, including "Bestiario" (1951), a book of short stories, and "Rayuela", (1963) his most famous novel, known for its non-linear style. "Rayuela" is often referred to as a counter-novel or antinovel, since it establishes its own conventions, and some chapters are written in a language invented by Cortázar himself.
Julio Florencio Cortázar died in 1984 at the age of 69 in Paris, France. His unique writing style influenced an entire generation of Spanish-speaking readers and writers in America and Europe.
Now that you've read our list of some of Latin America's most talented and famous writers, do any of their books sound familiar? Remember that you can improve your Spanish skills by reading a few minutes every day. You'll realize it gets easier every time!
References:
http://www.fundacionpaz.org.mx/
https://journals.openedition.org/babel/2571
https://www.biography.com/people/pablo-neruda-9421737
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1945/mistral/biographical/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A1rquez
https://therussianabroad.com/10-greatest-latin-american-writers/
https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/a-brief-list-of-significant-latin-american-writers
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julio-Cortazar
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/julio-cortazar-4912.php
