Chilean Literature
This page covers Chilean literature. McKee Library's collection includes numerous titles by Chilean authors. We have included a selection of these titles in our reading list, linked below. The resources below cover the general topic, however, more information is available if you search for individual authors by name in the databases.
- Chilean Literature Reading ListA Chilean literature reading list. This is not an exhaustive list, rather a list of titles available in McKee Library's collection.
Resources
- Isabel Allende: BritannicaIsabel Allende (born August 2, 1942, Lima, Peru) is a Chilean American writer in the magic realist tradition who is considered one of the first successful women novelists from Latin America.
- Pablo Neruda: BritannicaPablo Neruda (born July 12, 1904, Parral, Chile—died September 23, 1973, Santiago) was a Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He is perhaps the most important Latin American poet of the 20th century.
- Roberto Bolaño: BritannicaRoberto Bolaño (born April 28, 1953, Santiago, Chile—died July 15, 2003, Barcelona, Spain) was a Chilean author who was one of the leading South American literary figures at the turn of the 21st century.
Streaming Media
- Gabriela Mistral: Focused on LoveRecognized from an early age as a poet of remarkable ability, the writer who was to become known as Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American woman to be awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize, in 1945. Composed of archival footage and commentary from scholars and friends who discuss the personal events that affected her life and infused her work with its themes of tragic love and unfulfilled maternal love, this program provides an in-depth portrait of one of Latin America’s most gifted poets. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
- Isabel Allende: ReflectionsChilean novelist Isabel Allende has sold 15 million books in 30 languages over the past two decades. Few living writers receive the critical acclaim, popular following, and consistent sales records that she has enjoyed since the publication of her first novel, The House of the Spirits, in 1982. And yet her own story of exile after the rise of the dictator Pinochet is perhaps the most well-known aspect of her life and career. Profiling the author in Chile’s capital, Santiago, this extended interview explores her relationship with her homeland, the effects of her upbringing and exile on her writing, her feelings about the Pinochet years in Chile, and how she finds it impossible to tell a story without embellishing the truth. (51 minutes)
- Pablo Neruda: Chile's Master PoetThe life and work of Pablo Neruda—Nobel Laureate, statesman, renowned poet—both reflect and embody the events that shaped the 20th century. Born in Chile, he fled as a political refugee in 1948, not to return until 1952. Through archival material, Neruda’s writings, and interviews with family, friends, and scholars, this program presents Neruda’s life and the times that molded it. (Spanish with English subtitles, 28 minutes)
- Pablo Neruda: Closer to Blood than to InkEqually adept at writing simple love lyrics, surreal works of great complexity, and even epics, Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda was a master of many forms of poetry. This captivating program tells the story of the poet’s life and prodigious work, set against the backdrop of the country that inspired him. Readings from his massive oeuvre amply demonstrate his sincere commitment to the Communist Party and his abiding love for the natural world. Described by Federico García Lorca as a writer "closer to death than to philosophy, closer to grief than to intellect, closer to blood than to ink," Pablo Neruda stands as Chile’s greatest poet. (47 minutes)
Author's Works & Perspectives
A History of Chilean Literature
This book covers the full range and diversity of Chilean literature from the times of the Spanish conquest to the present. By emphasizing transnational, hemispheric, and global approaches to Chilean literature, it reflects the relevance of themes such as neoliberalism, migration and exile, as well as subfields like ethnic studies, and gender and sexuality studies. It showcases the diversity of Chilean literature throughout all periods, regions, ethnocultural groups and social classes, all the while foregrounding its regional variations. Unlike previous literary histories, it maps a rich heterogeneity by including works by Chileans of indigenous, African, Jewish, Arab, Asian, and Croatian ancestries, as well as studies of literature by LGTBQ authors and Chilean Americans. Ambitious and authoritative, this book is essential reading for scholars of Chilean Literature, Latin American Literature, the Global South, and World Literature.
On the Blue Shore of Silence
Aunque existe un sinnúmero de antologías de la poesía de Neruda, A la Orilla Azul del Silencio es la primera en reunir algunos de sus más bellos poemas sobre el mar. Algunas veces apasionados, otras veces serenos, los poemas de este libro -- presentado en formato bilingüe -- ofrecen al lector la posibilidad de imaginarse lo que habría sido sentarse con Neruda en Isla Negra frente al mar infinito, oyendo el eterno ir y venir de las olas. Con traducciones al inglés hechas por Alastair Reid,su traductor predilecto, y las extraordinarias pinturas de laartista Mary Heebner, A la Orilla Azul del Silencio es un nuevo pilar de la obra de Neruda, que combina con habilidad las sensibilidades del poeta, la artista y el lector.
Cuentos de Eva Luna
Eva Luna -- amante, revolucionaria, narradora -- reclinada en la cama con su amante, le cuenta una historia "que nunca ha contado antes a nadie," en veintitres vivdos y fascinantes relatos sobre guerrilleros y nigromantes, seductores y tiranos, diplomáticos y acróbatas. En esta estupenda colección de cuentos, Isabel Allende continúa la magia de su muy elogiada novela Eva Luna.
ODAS ELEMENTALES
"Concebidas como una columna periodistica y poetica, para un diario de Caracas, aqui aparecen reunidas sus memorables piezas de 1954. Son homenajes a objetos humildes y cotidianos, como su Oda a la alcachofa. ""Te desdene, alegria, / fui mal aconsejado"" P. Neruda."
Daughter of Fortune
From acclaimed international bestselling author Isabel Allende comes this dazzling historical novel, a sweeping portrait of an unconventional woman carving her own destiny in an era defined by violence, passion, and adventure. An orphan raised in Valparaiso, Chile, by a Victorian spinster and her rigid brother, young, vivacious Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California during the Gold Rush of 1849 -- a danger-filled quest that will become a momentous journey of transformation. In this rough-and-tumble world of panhandlers and prostitutes, immigrants and aristocrats, Eliza will discover a new life of freedom, independence, and a love greater than any ever dreamed. Performed by Blair Brown
