Olga Isabel Chams Eljach (August 21, 1922 - March 18, 2009), better known by her pseudonym Meira Delmar, was a Colombian poet of Lebanese descent. She is considered one of the most famous Colombian poets of the 20th century and published seven books of poetry in her lifetime. She was a member of the

Academia Colombiana de la Lengua The Academia Colombiana de la Lengua (Spanish for ''Colombian Academy of Language'') is an association of academics and experts on the use of the Spanish language in Colombia. It is based in Bogotá, Colombia's capital, and is a member of the As ...

since 1989.

Biography

She was born in

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of the Atlántico department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean region of Colombia, Caribbean coast region; as of 2018, it had a popul ...

, Colombia to Lebanese immigrants Julián E. Chams and Isabel Eljach. Her father had emigrated in the late 19th century to Haiti and then to Colombia. She was the youngest of three children and had two siblings, William and Alice. She started writing poems when she was 11 years old. She studied Latin and Music at the

Universidad del Atlántico Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

. She also studied fine arts in Italy. Her first published poems were in a Cuban magazine called ''Vanidades'' ("Vanities"). From these first publications, she adopted the pseudonym "Meira Del Mar". She published her first poetry book, ''Dawn of Oblivion'', in 1942 when she was 20 years old. She sent her first book and a letter to

Juana de Ibarbourou Juana Fernández Morales de Ibarbourou, also known as Juana de América, (March 8, 1892 – July 15, 1979) was a Uruguayan poet and one of the most popular writers of Spanish America. Her poetry, the earliest of which is often highly erotic, is ...

, a famous Uruguayan poet.

Honors and awards

Delmar received several honors and awards during her lifetime. A library in Barranquilla, the ''Biblioteca Pública Departamental Meira Delmar'', was renamed for her after she died. She had worked there as the director for 36 years since 1958. Additionally the ''Biblioteca Piloto del Caribe'', another public library in Barranquilla, named a lecture room after her. She received an honorary degree from the

University of Atlántico The University of Atlántico (), also called Uniatlántico, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university based in the city of Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia. It is the largest higher education institution by student popula ...

. A national poetry prize in Colombia is also named after her. She received the National Poetry Award from the

University of Antioquia The University of Antioquia (), also called UdeA, is primarily a public research-based university, located in the city of Medellín, Colombia. With regional campuses in Amalfi, Andes, Caucasia, Carmen de Viboral, Envigado, Puerto Berrío, S ...

in 1995. In 1998, she received a medal (the ''Medalla Gran Orden'') from the Colombian

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

Works

* ''Alba de olvido'' (Dawn of Oblivion), 1942 * ''Sitio del amor'' (Place of Love) * ''Verdad del sueño'' (The Truth of Dreams), 1946 * ''Secreta isla'', (1951) * ''Huésped sin sombra, Antología'', (1971) * ''Reencuentro'', (1981) * ''Laúd memorioso'', (1995) * ''Alguien pasa'', (1998) * ''Pasa El Viento: Antología Poética 1942-1998'', (2000) * ''Viaje al Ayer'', (2003)

References

External links

* Jaramillo, María Mercedes. Osorio, Betty. Mier, Ariel Castillo. (2003)
Meira Delmar: Poesía y prosa
'. Ediciones Uninorte, Barranquilla. {{DEFAULTSORT:Delmar, Meira 1922 births 2009 deaths Colombian women poets Colombian people of Lebanese descent People from Barranquilla 20th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers