1. Gabriela Mistral – Chile (1945)
Gabriela Mistral’s real name was Lucila de María del Perpetuo Soccoro Godoy Alcayaga. Rumor has it that she chose her pen name from her favorite authors Gabriele D’Annunzio and Frédéric Mistral.
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She was an educator, humanist, poet, and diplomat—and the first Latin American author and fifth woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Gabriela’s early life was plagued by suffering, abandonment, and grief. She had to support her family financially starting at age 15. These traumatic experiences are reflected in her first book Desolación (Desolation) in 1922, for which she won the Nobel Prize. Mistral became the voice of Latin America and established an international reputation.
Desolación is a collection of poems whose main themes are nature, motherhood, morality, religion, death, loss, and love for children.
Other titles by Gabriela Mistral:
Ternura (Tenderness)
Sonetos de Muerte (Sonnets of Death)
Poema de Chile (Poem of Chile)
Lecturas Para Mujeres (Readings for Women)