Clorinda Matto De Turner
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Clorinda Matto de Turner (11 November 1852 in
Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...
– 25 October 1909) was a
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
vian writer who lived during the early years of
Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...
independence. Her own independence inspired women throughout the region as her writings sparked controversy in her own culture. She was forced into exile to Argentina.


Early life and education

She was born and raised in
Cuzco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...
, Peru. Matto de Turner's father was Ramón Mato Torres and her mother was Grimanesa Concepción Usandivares. When her mother died, she became known as ''Azucena de los
Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
'' ("Lily of the Andes") throughout the region. Matto de Turner was baptized Grimanesa Martina Mato, but was called Clorinda among her friends and family. She originally had one "T" in her last name, but after studying the Inca culture she added the extra "T" to give the name an Inca flavor. Growing up in Cuzco, the former Inca capital, Matto spent most of her days on her family's estate, Paullo Chico, which is near the village of Coya. As a teenager, Matto attended the school that is now known as the Escuela Nacional de Educandas (National Women's Secondary School). There she took some very unconventional courses that were viewed as unfeminine in the culture. She majored in independent studies, which included
Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
,
Natural History Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
, and
Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
. Matto left school at the age of sixteen to spend more time taking care of her brother and father.


Career

In 1871, at the age of 19, Matto married an
Englishman The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common ancestry, history, and culture. The English identity began with the Anglo-Saxons, when they we ...
, Dr. Turner, a wealthy landowner. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Tinta, where they lived for 10 years. In Tinta, Matto de Turner became more aware of Peru's two histories: the colonial and the Inca. She became very familiar with indigenous culture, and the more she learned, the more she embraced it. Much of her writing is inspired by what she learned from her acquaintance with this culture. She found work as a
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
, with local and foreign papers. In 1878, Matto de Turner founded ''El Recreo de Casco'', a magazine offering literature, science, art and education. She became known for literary works that portrayed indigenous people in a positive light, in contrast to the mainstream views of her society. Even though she was of white ancestry, she did not agree with the oppressive treatment of Peru's indigenous peoples, and she used her writings to speak out on their behalf. Matto de Turner also used her writings to campaign for better education for women. In 1881, her husband died, leaving the estate
bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...
. Unable to improve her financial situation in Tinta, Matto de Turner moved to
Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara language, Aymara and ), also known by its nicknames of ''Ciudad Blanca'' (Spanish for "White City") and ''León del Sur'' (Spanish for "South's Lion"), is a city in Peru and the capital of the eponymous Arequipa (province), ...
where she worked as editor in chief at the newspaper ''La Bolsa Americana''. While there she published two volumes of "tradiciones cuzqueñas," one in 1884 and another in 1886. She also wrote the drama ''Himacc-Suacc'' (1884) and
translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
the four
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s, the
Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of The gospel, its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make u ...
and the
Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that Salvation (Christianity), salvation is offered ...
into the
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 ...
language spoken by the indigenous people in the Cuzco Region of Peru. Besides her literary works she also got involved in politics, and raised money for the development of the
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''Almirante Grau''. Matto de Turner eventually moved from Tinta to live in
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, although with her political and controversial writings she often thought it would be safer to live outside of Peru. In Lima she joined many different literary organizations and publications. In 1887, Matto de Turner became director of ''El Peru Ilustrado'', where she published many of her novels. She published three novels between 1889 and 1895: ''Aves Sin Nido'' (Birds Without a Nest), ''Indole'' (Character), and ''Herencia'' (Heredity). These novels talk about the indigenous people getting stripped of all their civil rights as well as getting persecuted by the community and the self-indulgent priests. Matto de Turner's most famous novel was ''Aves Sin Nido'' (translated as "Torn from the Nest")(1889). This novel was controversial because it was about a love affair between a white man and an indigenous woman, which was considered a disgrace among Latin American society during this time, and because it spoke of the immorality of the priests during that period. The reason the characters in the novel couldn't marry was because they eventually learned that they were both fathered by the same philandering priest. ''Aves Sin Nido'' was not Matto de Turner's only controversial work. She also published a controversial story written by a
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
ian writer by the name of Henrique Coelho Neto in her newspaper, ''El Perú Illustrado''. Her controversial writings led to her
excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...
by the
Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
. In 1895, she moved to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, where she continued her literary activities. In 1900, she wrote ''Boreales, Miniaturas y Porcelanas'' (Northerners, Miniatures, and Porcelain) a collection of essays which includes "Narraciones históricas," an important historiographical contribution that shows her deep sorrow at being exiled from Peru and her longing to return. In Buenos Aires Matto de Turner founded ''Búcaro Americano''; she also gave numerous public lectures and wrote many articles for the press. Matto de Turner spent most of her time teaching at a local university as a professor. In 1908, when she visited Europe for the first time in her life, she made sure to carefully document this in the book ''Viaje de Recreo'' (Trip of Amusement). The book was released in newspapers upon her death in 1909.


Legacy

In 2010, a
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
was constructed in a
Cuzco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...
cemetery for her remains. In 2022, a park in Peru was named in her honor. The
National Library of Peru The National Library of Peru () is the national library of Peru, located in Lima. It is the country's oldest and most important library. Like the majority of Peruvian libraries, it is a non-circulating library. It has two branches. The old build ...
declared her works as part of the cultural patrimony of Peru, honored her with a revised edition of her works, and later on their website on the 172nd anniversary of her birth in 2024.


First editions of her works


Tradiciones y leyendas

* ''Perú: Tradiciones cuzqueñas''. Arequipa: "La Bolsa", 1884. * ''Tradiciones cuzqueñas''. 2 vols. Lima: Torres Aguirre, 1886. * ''Leyendas y recortes''. Lima: "La Equitativa", 1893.


Fiction

* ''Aves sin nido''. Lima: Imprenta del Universo de Carlos Prince, 1889. A first translation of the novel was published in London in 1904. * ''Índole''. Lima: Imprenta Bacigalupi, 1891. * ''Herencia''. Lima: Imprenta Bacigalupi, 1893.


Biography, epistolary prose, travel writing, and essays

* ''Bocetos al lápiz de americanos célebres''. Lima: Peter Bacigalupi, 1889. * ''Boreales, miniaturas y porcelanas''. Buenos Aires: Juan A. Alsina, 1902. * ''Cuatro conferencias sobre América del Sur''. Buenos Aires: Juan A. Alsina, 1909. * '' Viaje de recreo: España, Francia, Inglaterra, Italia, Suiza, Alemana''. Valencia: F. Sempere, 1909.


Theatre

* ''Hima-Sumac: Drama en tres actos y en prosa''. Lima: "La Equitativa", 1893. This was staged in 2022 for the first time in decades.


Further reading

*Campbell, Margaret V., The "Tradiciones Cuzquenas" of Clorinda Matto De Turner. Index of Volume 42 1959 *Chasteen, Charles John. "Born in Blood & Fire", pp. 165-166. *Berg, Mary G. "Clorinda Matto de Turner". ''Spanish-American Women Writers''. Ed. Diane E. Marting. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1990, pp. 303–315. *Berg, Mary G. "Writing for her Life: The Essays of Clorinda Matto de Turner", in ''Reinterpreting the Spanish American Essay: Women Writers of the 19th and 20th Centuries''. Ed. Doris Meyer. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995. *Castagnaro, R. Anthony. ''The Early Spanish American Novel''. New York: Las Américas, 1971; "The Indianist Novels", pp. 139–157. * Cornejo Polar, Antonio. "Foreword". ''Torn from the Nest''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998: xiii-xlii. *Davies, Catherine. "Spanish-American Interiors: Spatial Metaphors, Gender and Modernity". ''Romance Studies'' 22.1 (Mar 2004): 27–39. *Fox-Lockert, Lucía. "Clorinda Matto de Turner: Aves sin nido (1889)". ''Women Novelists in Spain and Spanish America''. Metuchen, N.J: The Scarecrow Press, 1979. *González Pérez, Aníbal. "Novel and Journalism: Strategic Interchanges". Eds. Mario J. Valdés & Djelal Kadir. ''Literary Cultures of Latin America: A Comparative History''. 3 Vols. Vol 2: Institutional Modes and Cultural Modalities. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004: II: 278–288. *Higgins, James. ''A History of Peruvian Literature''. Liverpool: Francis Carnes, 1987, pp. 74–79. *Kristal, Efraín. "Clorinda Matto de Turner". ''Latin American Writers''. Vol. I. Ed. Solé/Abreu. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1989: pp. 305–309. *Kristal, Efraín. ''The Andes Viewed from the City''. New York: Peter Lang, 1987. *Lindstrom, Naomi. "Foreword". ''Birds Without a Nest''. By Clorinda Matto de Turner. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996: vi-xxi. *Lindstrom, Naomi. ''Early Spanish American Narrative''. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004; sobre Matto de Turner, 170–174. *Prieto, René. "The Literature of Indigenismo". ''The Cambridge History of Latin American Literature''. Ed. Roberto González Echevarría and Enrique Pupo-Walker. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. *Ward, Thomas. "The Royal Commentaries as a Kaleidoscopic National Archetype: The Pursuit of Post-Colonial Identities in Peru." ''Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas'', Issue 79, Vol. 42.2 (Fall 2009): 185–194.


See also

*'' Noli Ne Tángere'', by
Jose Rizal Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. Given name Mishnaic and Talmudic periods * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean * Jose ben Halaft ...
, a Filipino novel that explores many of the same themes and plot elements as her novels *
Peruvian literature The term Peruvian literature not only refers to literature produced in the independent Republic of Peru, but also to literature produced in the Viceroyalty of Peru during the country's colonial period, and to oral tradition, oral artistic forms c ...
*
List of Peruvian writers This is a list of Peruvian literature, Peruvian literary figures, including poets, novelists, children's writers, essayists, and scholars. * Martín Adán (1908–1985), poet * Katya Adaui (born 1977), novelist * Daniel Alarcón (born 1977), novel ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matto de Turner, Clorinda 1852 births 1909 deaths People from Cusco Peruvian emigrants to Argentina Peruvian essayists Peruvian women novelists 19th-century Peruvian women writers 19th-century Peruvian writers 19th-century novelists Peruvian women essayists 19th-century essayists Peruvian translators 19th-century translators