This is a list of some of the most important writers from Latin America, organized by cultural region and nationality. The focus is on Latin American literature.
Andeans
Bolivia Alcides Arguedas (1879–1946), historian Matilde Casazola Javier del Granado (1913–1996), poet Alfonso Gumucio Dagron Víctor Montoya Edmundo Paz Soldán (born 1967), novelist Jaime Sáenz (1921–1986), poet and novelist José Ignacio de Sanjinés (1786–1864), poet Pedro Shimose Gastón Suárez (1929–1984), novelist and dramatist Franz Tamayo (1878–1956), poet Adela Zamudio (1854–1928), poet and novelist
Chile
Colombia
Héctor Abad Faciolince, writer and journalist Manuel Ancízar, writer and journalist Gonzalo Arango, poet and novelist Helena Araújo Porfirio Barba-Jacob Andrés Caicedo James Cañón Tomás Carrasquilla Germán Castro Caycedo Gabriel García Márquez, Nobel Prize in Literature winner (1982) Adolfo León Gómez, poet León de Greiff Magdalena León de Leal, sociologist and writer Jorge Isaacs Jaime Manrique, writer and painter Santiago Martínez Delgado, writer and painter Álvaro Mutis Rafael Pombo Laura Restrepo González José Eustasio Rivera Daniel Samper Pizano José Asunción Silva Guillermo Valencia Fernando Vallejo José María Vargas Vila
Ecuador
Peru
Venezuela
Brazil
Adalgisa Nery (1905–1980) Adélia Prado (born 1935) Adolfo Caminha (1867–1897) Adonias Filho (1915–1990) Afonso Arinos (1868–1916) Alberto de Oliveira (1859–1937) Alcântara Machado (1901–1935) Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay (1843–1899) Alice Dayrell Caldeira Brant (1880–1970) Aluísio de Azevedo (1857–1913) Alvarenga Peixoto (1744–1792) Álvares de Azevedo (1831–1852) Ana Cristina César (1952–1983) Ana Maria Machado (born 1941) Ana Miranda (born 1951) Aníbal Machado (1894–1964) Antônio Gonçalves Dias (1823–1864) Antônio José da Silva (O Judeu) (1705–1793) António Vieira (1608–1697) Ariano Suassuna (1927–2014) Aristides Fraga Lima (1923–1996?) Artur Azevedo (1855–1908) Augusto de Campos (born 1931) Augusto de Lima (1859–1934) Augusto dos Anjos (1884–1914) Autran Dourado (1926–2012) Basílio da Gama (1741–1795) Bernardo Guimarães (1825–1884) Camilo Pessanha (1867–1926) Carolina Maria de Jesus (1914–1977) Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902–1987) Casimiro de Abreu (1839–1860) Castro Alves (1847–1862) Cassiano Ricardo (1895–1974) Cecília Meireles (1901–1964) Clarice Lispector (1925–1977) Cláudio Manuel da Costa (1729–1789) Conceição Evaristo (born 1946) Cora Coralina (1889–1985) Cruz e Sousa (1861–1898) Dias Gomes (1922–1999) Érico Veríssimo (1905–1975) Euclides da Cunha (1866–1909) Fabrício Carpi Nejar (born 1972) Ferreira Gullar (1930–2016) Gilberto Mendonça Teles (1931–2024) Gonçalves de Magalhães (1811–1882) Graça Aranha (1868–1931) Graciliano Ramos (1892–1953) Gregório de Matos (1636–1696) Gustavo Dourado (born 1960) Haroldo de Campos (1929–2003) Henriqueta Lisboa (1901–1985) Hilda Hilst (1930–2004) João Cabral de Melo Neto (1920–1999) João do Rio (1881–1921) João Gilberto Noll (1946–2017) João Guimarães Rosa (1908–1967) João Simões Lopes Neto (1865–1916) João Ubaldo Ribeiro (1941–2014) Joaquim Manuel de Macedo (1820–1882) Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (1839–1908) Jorge Amado (1912–2001) José de Alencar (1829–1877) José Lins do Rego (1901–1957) José Mauro de Vasconcelos (1920–1984) Laerte (born 1951) Lima Barreto (1881–1922) Lúcia Machado de Almeida (1910–2005) Lya Luft (1938–2021) Lygia Fagundes Telles (1923–2022) Manuel Bandeira (1886–1968) Manuel de Araújo Porto-alegre (1777–1838) Márcio Souza (1946–2024) Mário de Andrade (1893–1945) Mario Quintana (1906–1994) Martins Pena (1815–1848) Menotti Del Picchia (1892–1988) Milton Hatoum (born 1952) Monteiro Lobato (1882–1948) Murilo Mendes (1901–1975) Narbal Fontes (1902–1960) Nélida Piñon (1937–2022) Nélson Rodrigues (1912–1980) Olavo Bilac (1865–1918) Orígenes Lessa (1903–1986) Osman Lins (1924–1978) Oswald de Andrade (1890–1954) Pagu (1910–1962) Paulo Coelho (born 1947) Paulo Leminski (1944–1989) Paulo Lins (born 1958) Pedro Bloch (1914–2004) Rachel de Queiroz (1910–2003) Raul Pompéia (1863–1895) Rubem Braga (1913–1990) Rubem Fonseca (1925–2020) Sérgio Sant'Anna (1941–2020) Socorro Acioli (born 1975) Sousândrade (1833–1902) Tomás Antônio Gonzaga (1744–1819) Vladimir Herzog (1930–1975) Zélia Gattai (1916–2008) Ziraldo Alves Pinto (1932–2024)
Caribbean Cuba
Reinaldo Arenas Guillermo Cabrera Infante Alejo Carpentier Daína Chaviano Julián del Casal Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda Nicolás Guillén José María Heredia José Lezama Lima José Martí Heberto Padilla Virgilio Piñera Ena Lucía Portela Pedro Pérez Sarduy Severo Sarduy Pedro Juan Gutiérrez
Dominican Republic
Julia Alvarez Arambilet Juan Bosch Manuel del Cabral Aída Cartagena Portalatín Hilma Contreras Junot Díaz Carrión Grimes Pedro Henríquez Ureña Jeannette Miller Pedro Mir Salomé Ureña Geovanny Vicente
Haiti
Edwidge Danticat René Depestre Roger Dorsinville Franck Étienne Frédéric Marcelin Félix Morisseau-Leroy Justin Lhérisson Jacques Roumain
Puerto Rico
Central America Costa Rica
Joaquín García Monge Carmen Naranjo Oscar Núñez Oliva
El Salvador
Manlio Argueta, novelist Roque Dalton, poet and revolutionary Jacinta Escudos, novelist Claudia Lars, poet Salarrué (Salvador Salazar Arrué), novelist, poet, painter
Guatemala
Miguel Ángel Asturias (1899–1974), Nobel Prize in Literature winner (1967) Marco Antonio Flores (1937–2013) Augusto Monterroso (1921–2003)
Honduras
Óscar Acosta (1933–2014), poet and critic Ramón Amaya Amador (1916–1966), novelist and journalist Eduardo Bähr (born 1940) Augusto Coello (1884–1941) Julio Escoto (born 1944) Javier Abril Espinoza (born 1967) Lucila Gamero de Medina (1873–1964) Juan Ramón Molina (1875–1908), poet Leticia de Oyuela (1935–2008) Roberto Sosa (1930–2011), poet Juan Pablo Suazo Euceda (born 1972) Froylán Turcios (1874–1943)
Nicaragua
Claribel Alegría (1924–2018), poet, received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2006 Emilio Álvarez Lejarza (1884–1969), writer Emilio Álvarez Montalván (1919–2014), political writer Gioconda Belli (born 1948), poet Tomás Borge (1930–2012), writer, poet, and essayist Omar Cabezas (born 1950), writer Ernesto Cardenal (1925–2020), poet Blanca Castellón (born 1958), poet José Coronel Urtecho (1906–1994), poet, translator, essayist, critic, narrator, playwright, and historian Alfonso Cortés (1893–1969), poet Arturo Cruz (born 1954), writer Pablo Antonio Cuadra (1912–2002), poet Rubén Darío (1867–1916), poet, referred to as the "father of Modernism" Karly Gaitán Morales (born 1980), film historian, and writer Salomón Ibarra Mayorga (1887–1985), poet and lyricist of "Salve a ti, Nicaragua", the Nicaraguan national anthem Erwin Krüger (1915–1973), poet and composer Francisco Mayorga (born 1949), writer Christianne Meneses Jacobs (born 1971), writer, editor, and publisher Rosario Murillo (born 1951), poet Azarías H. Pallais (1884–1954), poet Joaquín Pasos (1914–1947), poet Horacio Peña (born 1946), writer and poet Sergio Ramírez (born 1942), writer Arlen Siu (died 1972), essayist Julio Valle Castillo (born 1952), poet, novelist, essayist, literary critic and art critic Daisy Zamora (born 1950), poet
Panama
Rosa María Britton, writer Gloria Guardia, novelist and essayist María Olimpia de Obaldía Ricardo Miró, poet José Luis Rodríguez Pittí, writer and photographer
Mexico
Rioplatenses Argentina
Paraguay
Renée Ferrer de Arréllaga (born 1944) José Ricardo Mazó (1927–1987) Josefina Pla (1909–1999) José María Rivarola Matto (1909–1999) Augusto Roa Bastos
Uruguay
Delmira Agustini Mario Benedetti Matilde Bianchi María de Montserrat Marosa di Giorgio Eduardo Galeano Julio Herrera y Reissig Jorge Majfud Leo Maslíah Tomás de Mattos Jesús Moraes Juan Carlos Onetti Emilio Oribe Teresa Porzecanski Mercedes Rein José Enrique Rodó Cristina Peri Rossi Horacio Quiroga Armonía Somers Juan Zorrilla de San Martín
See also Latin American literature List of Spanish-language poets List of African writers by country
References