The constant political turmoil that

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

has experienced throughout its history has slowed the development of Bolivian literature. Many talents have had to emigrate or were silenced by the internal conflict. In recent years the literature of Bolivia has been in a process of growth, with the appearance of new writers. Older writers such as Adela Zamudio, Oscar Alfaro, and Franz Tamayo continue to be important. Nearly half of Bolivia's population speaks indigenous languages such as:

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

or Guarani. The indigenous peoples of Bolivia have a rich oral tradition, as expressed in myths, legends, and stories; these stories generally have not been transcribed in writing.

Notable writers

Notable Bolivian writers include:

The Bolivian Novel

In 2004, a book-length survey of the best Bolivian novels was published. It attempted to identify the top 10 novels in Bolivian literature, winnowing them down from a longer list of 91 novels. The study was done by Carlos Diego de Mesa Gisbert. Below is the list of top 30 novels as identified in the book.''Las diez mejores novelas de la literatura boliviana'' (2004), by Carlos D. Mesa Gisbert. . # '' Juan de la Rosa'' (1909) by Nataniel Aguirre # '' Raza de Bronce'' (1919) by

Alcides Arguedas Alcides Arguedas Díaz (July 15, 1879 in La Paz – May 6, 1946 in Chulumani) was a Bolivian writer and historian. His literary work, which had a profound influence on the Bolivian social thought in the first half of the twentieth century, ...

# '' La Chaskanawi'' (1947) by Carlos Medinaceli # '' Los deshabitados'' (1959) by Marcelo Quiroga # '' Aluvión de fuego'' (1935) by Oscar Cerruto # '' Metal del diablo'' (1946) by Augusto Cespedes # '' Matias el apostol suplente'' (1971) by Julio de la Vega # '' Manchay Puytu'' (1977) by Nestor Taboada Teran # '' Felipe Delgado'' (1979) by Jaime Saenz # '' Tierras hechizadas'' (1932) by Adolfo Costa du Reis # '' La candidatura de Rojas'' (1909) by Armando Chirveches # '' Tirinea'' (1969) by Jesus Urzagasti # '' Los fundadores del alba'' (1969) by Renato Prada Oropeza # '' En las tierras del Potosi'' (1911) by

Jaime Mendoza Jaime Mendoza Gonzáles (1874–1939) was a Bolivian doctor, journalist and writer. A native of Sucre, he trained to be a doctor, providing valuable services in Llallagua and in Guerra del Acre. As a journalist, he founded the newspapers ''Nuev ...

# ''

Yanakuna Yanakuna were originally individuals in the Inca Empire who left the ayllu system and worked full-time at a variety of tasks for the Inca, the ''quya'' (Inca queen), or the religious establishment. A few members of this serving class enjoyed high s ...

'' (1952) by

Jesús Lara Lara Jesus ( AD 30 or 33) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who most Christians believe to be the incarnation of God and Muslims believe was a prophet. Jesus may also refer to: People Religious figures * Elymas Bar-Jesus, a Jew in the ''Ac ...

# '' Socavones de angustia'' (1947) by Fernando Ramirez Velarde # ''

Altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish language, Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechuan languages, Quechua and Aymara language, Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla people, Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extens ...

'' (1945) by Raul Botelho Gozalvez # '' La casa solariega'' (1916) by Armando Chirveches # '' La nina de sus ojos'' (1948) by Antonio Diaz Villamil # '' La sima fecunda'' (1933) by Augusto Guzman # '' Los Andes no creen en Dios'' (1973) by Adolfo Costa du Reis # '' Mallku'' (1974) by Gaston Suarez # '' El signo escalonado'' (1975) by Nestor Taboada Teran # '' Historia de la Villa Imperial'' (1736) by Bartolome Arzans # '' Su excelencia y su ilustrisima'' (1889) by Santiago Vaca Guzman # '' Paginas barbaras'' (1914) by

# '' Sangre de mestizos'' (1936) by Augusto Cespedes # '' Repete'' (1937) by

# '' Prisionero de guerra'' (1938) by Augusto Guzman # '' Mateo Montemayor'' (1969) by Fernando Diez de Medina

Bibliography

*Elizabeth Monasterios: "Chapter 42 La Paz- Chukiyawu Marka" in: ''Literary Cultures of Latin America. A comparative History'', ed. by Mario J. Valdés and Djelal Kadir, Volume II: ''Institutional Modes and Cultural Modalities'', Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 474–497

References

External links

Latin American literature by country South American literature Spanish-language literature {{lit-country-stub