Published on May 16, 2024
An essential guide to Chilean writers
Are you planning on moving to Chile and wish to better comprehend the country by reading the works of great Chilean writers? Are you a Chilean-American looking to connect with the rich literary history of your South American homeland? Either way, you’ve come to the right place.
Books are wonderful conduits of culture and language. Reading authors from Chile is the perfect way to learn Chilean history and brush up on the Chilean Spanish linguistic patterns that are unique in the Spanish-speaking world. But where to start? In this guide, we’ll introduce you to five of the best Chilean writers and their most notable works.
A native Chilean born in 1942 and now living in California, Isabel Allende is one of our favorite contemporary Chilean writers. Allende’s work, which explores the intertwined themes of family, love and politics, is taught in Spanish-language literature classes worldwide. From her unique vantage point as the niece of Salvador Allende (Chile’s first democratically elected socialist president), Allende touches upon topics ranging from historical trauma to feminist criticism and the future of Latin America.
Allende won Chile’s National Prize for Literature in 2010, though she had already cemented her place in global literary history. As a Chilean novelist, Allende is widely read and celebrated among her peers. She is a must-read for anyone interested in Chilean writers.
Famous work: La casa de los espíritus (1982)
If you’re discovering Chilean writers and you happen to like poetry, Gabriela Mistral is another author you should read. This professor and poet was the first Latin American writer ever to win the Nobel Prize when she was awarded it in 1945. She traveled extensively between the Americas and Europe, making a name for herself as a diplomat. Of all the Chilean writers, her works have inspired perhaps the most inspirational quotes — many of which you may come across in daily life.
Mistral was catapulted to national fame by her 1914 book Sonnets of Death, which chronicles her emotional reaction to the suicide of a former lover, Romelio Ureta. Due to her close relationships with Ureta and other women, she is hailed as a prominent LGBTQ+ figure among Chilean writers to this day.
Beyond Mistral’s legacy in the community, her literary importance to the country is profound. Chilean literary critics such as Cedomil Goic consider her work to mark the beginning of modern poetry in Chile.
Famous work: Sonetos de la muerte (1914)
Ready for a Chilean writer who appeals to history buffs and linguistic nerds? Born in 1739, Sor (“Sister”) Josefa de los Dolores Peña y Lillo Barbosa was only 12 when she entered religious life and became a Dominican nun. When she began writing at 24, she mainly produced epistles and religious letters. From these humble beginnings, she grew to be a prominent religious and political figure. She was even tapped to consult with government ministers during the Chilean War of Independence, which began in 1813.
Today, the letters of Josefa de los Dolores are treated as linguistic gospel, and they stand collectively as perhaps the best surviving source of the Spanish spoken during Chile’s colonial period. Her historical importance saw a resurgence in 2008 when students from the University of Chile in Santiago rescued a collection of her letters entitled the Epistolary of Sister Dolores Peña y Lillo.
Famous work: Epistolario de Sor Dolores Peña y Lillo (1763–1769)
Marcela Serrano (born 1951) is a feminist, novelist and short story writer from Chile’s capital city of Santiago. In 1994, she won the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Literary Prize, an award that recognizes the excellence of Spanish-language works published in Latin America and the Caribbean. Her prize-winning book, titled in English We That Love Each Other So Much, is the story of four women reunited after many years of friendship.
As with many of our favorite writers from Chile, Serrano explores the lives of women through both internal and external lenses. These themes are perfect for anyone studying intermediate or advanced Spanish. Another notable work is Para que no me olvides (1994), which won the Santiago Municipal Literature Award in the year of its publication.
Famous work: Nosotras que nos queremos tanto (1991)
How many Chilean writers are famous for poetry? Quite a few, actually! Pablo Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Much like Gabriela Mistral, Neruda’s formidable standing as a literary figure eventually led to a career as a diplomat in his later years.
Now that three of his historical homes have been turned into museums, literary tourists can get a special glimpse into Neruda’s daily life in Chile and artistic leanings. One home, La Sebastiana, is a famous place to see Chilean street art in the city of Valparaíso. His most famous collection of poetry, published in 1924, bears the English title Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair.
Famous work: Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada (1924)
Reading in Spanish is a fantastic way to improve your grammar and expand your arsenal of idiomatic expressions. Focusing on Chilean writers is a great place to start, especially if you want to brush up on culture and expressions.
Of course, everyone’s motivation for reading is different, and you should choose a book that appeals to you personally. Whether it’s a novel or poetry, start with something you think you’ll find engaging. Then, when you’ve read your first of many Chilean writers, consider reading some parts out loud to somebody else. Practice — whether it’s reading or speaking — is the surest path to perfection.
