Jessibird
Having just mentioned her, I thought she deserved her own post. If you don’t know already, Gabriela Mistral was a Chilean schoolteacher and poet. Everyone knows about Pablo Neruda, but not many people—outside Chile, at least—know about Gabriela and her poems.
People should. Her voice is tender, sensuous, anguished, wise, and playful by turns. My favorite is her book Ternura (Tenderness), in which she speaks to children.
Ahem, don’t tell any librarians, but I still have her poetry that I never checked in…I couldn’t find a book in Spanish in print to buy…ahem…
Also lovely are Rafael Manriquez‘ musical settings, the album Canto a Gabriela.
If you like Gabriela Mistral you should go to Vicuña in Chile and you will understand why she became a poet. Maybe you have already been there but if you have not you should check it out.
Thanks for the advice! No, sadly, I’ve never been to South America but if I ever manage to go, I will plan on visiting Vicuña.
I just looked up a few pictures. Whoa, is that a volcano? What an awe-inspiring landscape.