Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Gabriela Mistral (Chilean Poet)

Gabriela Mistral (1889–1957,) pseudonym of Lucila Godoy de Alcayaga, was a Chilean poet, diplomat, and educator. Celebrated for her extraordinarily passionate verse, she became, in 1945, the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Born of Spanish, Basque, and Indian descent in Vicuña in northern Chile, Mistral was a teacher when she won a poetry prize with her Sonetos de la muerte (1914, ‘Sonnets of Death’) at Santiago in 1915. She taught at Columbia University, Vassar, and in Puerto Rico, and was formerly consul at Madrid, Lisbon, Genoa, and Nice.

The publication of Mistral’s first book, Desolación (1922, ‘Desolation,’) was paid for by the teachers of New York. Desolación includes the poem “Dolor” about the aftermath of a love affair that ended with the suicide of her lover. Following that tragedy, she never married. Her work was inspired by religious sentiments and a preoccupation with nature, betrayal, love, sorrow, and recovery.

Mistral’s career as a teacher inspired her to write for children, notably the songs in Ternura: Canciones de niños (1924;) much of her children’s writing is translated in Crickets and Frogs (1972.) Langston Hughes, Ursula K. Le Guin, Paul Burns, Salvador Ortiz-Carboneres, and Maria Giachetti have translated her poetry into English. Selected Prose and Prose-Poems (2002) is a translation by Stephen Tapscott. Mistral’s other collections of poems include Tala (1938) and Lagar (1954.)

Margot Arce de Vázquez wrote Gabriela Mistral: the Poet and Her Work (1964.) Mistral’s portrait appears on the 5,000 Chilean peso banknote.

More: Wikipedia READ: Works by Gabriela Mistral

Love beauty; it is the shadow of God on the universe.
Gabriela Mistral
Topics: Beauty

Love that stammers, that stutters, is apt to be the love that loves best.
Gabriela Mistral
Topics: Love

Wondering Whom to Read Next?

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *