English 226: Gabriela Mistral

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  Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957), who won the 1945 Nobel Prize in literature, is one of Chile's most distinguished writers. After the tragic suicide of an early lover, she began to write poetry as a village schoolteacher, living a life she herself described as desolate. She , yearned for, but never experienced motherhood. She "turned her personal tragedy into beautiful poetry which offers intellectual and spiritual love, compassion, and courageous nurturance to others, especially children or others in need of protection" (Paul Brians).

Texts: Here are 10 short poems from Gabriela Mistral: Selected Poems, translated and edited by Doris Dana--provided in both Spanish and English on Professor Daniela Sirigni's website "A Lingua Portuguesa."  And here are 2 short poems from Reading About the World, Volume 2, by Paul Brians and others.

Links: Mistral won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945. The Nobel Laureate Mistral Page includes a brief biography and links to Mistral's Nobel Prize speech, etc. Here is a longer biography of Mistral written by Petri Liukkonen from his Books and Writers Website. Watch the video of Sister Maria Christina Sanchez Escobar reading Mistral's "Piececitos/Little Feet" first in Spanish and later in English, explaining its significance for her. Sister Sanchez Escobar was born in Chile. (From "Favorite Poem Project")