Gabriela MistralGabriela Mistral was born Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga (1889-1957) in Vicuña, Chile and was the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize for Literature (1945). Mistral became a rural school teacher at the age of 15 and her literary repuation was established in 1914 when she won a Chilean prize for three “Sonetos de la muerte.” Following a lecture on her poetry in 1921, Prof. Federico De Onís proposed that the Hispanic Institute release a compilation of her poems, as a tribute to Mistral from her fellow teachers of Spanish in the United States. Her relationship with Columbia University thus began with the publication of her first book, Desolación (1922), which includes the poem “Dolor,” memorializing a love affair that ended with her beloved’s suicide. Mistral was later asked to help reform the education system in rural Mexico, which led to a life of international responsibilities as consul of Chile (1925-1957) serving in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and the United States. The publication of Lecturas para mujeres (1923) and Ternura (1924) preceded her eventual move to New York, where she taught at Barnard College. Later anthologies of her poetry include Tala (1938), Lagar (1954), and the posthumous epic, Poema de Chile (1967). Read More Read Less