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Art and Literature

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The country of Chile has a thriving literary tradition and has birthed two Nobel Prize winners in literature, Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, both of whom are poets. Both of these authors’ homes and birthplaces are currently museums that draw literary pilgrims to Chile every year. Neruda’s works are fairly available in English, whereas Mistral’s works are more difficult to find.

There are several other significant, contemporary authors from Chile who have won an international reputation in the literary world. The most popular is novelist Isabel Allende who has written such well-known international bestsellers as Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, and House of the Spirits. Another popular author includes Antonio Skármeta whose novel, Burning Patience, was the inspiration for the Oscar-winning Italian film, The Postman.

The most successful play in the 1990s was Roberto Parra’s, La Negra Ester, a dramatic variation of a poem consisting of characters who work at a seaport brothel. The play is shown every year and tickets are sold out weeks in advance. Since its origination in 1857, Santiago’s Municipal Theater, has been a significant factor in publicizing the arts. Every year both national and international celebrities frequent the theater and entertain audiences with operas, ballets, and concerts.

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