At the beginning of this month, Chile started celebrating the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to poet Gabriela Mistral 80 years ago, with around 200 activities across the country. Chilean citizens explored the corners of Santiago that are imbued with Mistral's legacy, the first Chilean and Latin American to receive this prestigious recognition.
The "Gabriela Route" traversed the Central House of the University of Chile, the San Francisco Museum housing her Nobel archives, and the Municipal Theater of Santiago, where Mistral delivered her last speech. The director of the Central Andrés Bello Archive of the University of Chile, Fernanda Vera, explained that Mistral's relationship with the university developed in four key moments of her life.
Vera stated: "Mistral is the greatest treasure of humanity, one of the great masters." She highlighted that in recent times there has been a renewed interest in her work and new materials related to Mistral have been discovered. On the other hand, the director of Extension at the University of Chile, Fabián Retamal, underscored the importance of valuing the poet's legacy from multiple perspectives.
Meanwhile, historian Aurora Esquivel pointed out: "Poetry for me encompasses everything, not only of the human being but of the cosmos." During this month, the Month of the Book and Reading is commemorated, with a series of activities that honor Gabriela Mistral in the framework of the 80 years of her Nobel. The celebration will culminate on December 10, the date she received the recognition in 1945.
One of the participants in the activities, Silvana Morales, shared that for her, Mistral is an inspiring woman, so much so that she decided to name her daughter Gabriela in honor of the poet. In this regard, Morales expressed her pride that her daughter bears the name of such a prominent female figure.
