Clorinda Matto de Turner | |
|---|---|
 Photo on glass plate taken at the photographic studio ofEugenio Courret, circa 1887 | |
| Born | (1852-11-11)November 11, 1852 |
| Died | October 25, 1909(1909-10-25) (aged 56) |
| Resting place | Cementerio General de La Almudena |
| Nationality | Peruvian |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Joseph Turner (1871-1881) |
| Parent(s) | Grimanesa Concepción Usandivaras Gárate and Ramón Matto Torres |
| Relatives | David Matto (brother)Samuel Usandivaras (uncle) |
| Writing career | |
| Language | Modern Spanish |
| Genres | |
| Notable works | Aves sin nido |
Clorinda Matto de Turner (11 November 1852 inCusco – 25 October 1909) was aPeruvian writer who lived during the early years ofLatin American 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.[1]
She was born and raised inCuzco, Peru.[1] Matto de Turner's father was Ramón Mato Torres and her mother was Grimanesa Concepción Usandivares. When her mother died, she became known asAzucena de losAndes ("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 theInca 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 ofCoya. 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 includedPhilosophy,Natural History, andPhysics. Matto left school at the age of sixteen to spend more time taking care of her brother and father.
In 1871, at the age of 19, Matto married anEnglishman, Dr. Turner, a wealthy landowner. Shortly after their marriage they moved toTinta, where they lived for 10 years. In Tinta, Matto de Turner became more aware of Peru's two histories: thecolonial 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 ajournalist, with local and foreign papers. In 1878, Matto de Turner foundedEl 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 estatebankrupt. Unable to improve her financial situation in Tinta, Matto de Turner moved toArequipa where she worked as editor in chief at the newspaperLa Bolsa Americana. While there she published two volumes of "tradiciones cuzqueñas," one in 1884 and another in 1886. She also wrote the dramaHimacc-Suacc (1884) andtranslated the fourGospels, theActs of the Apostles and theEpistle to the Romans into theQuechua languagespoken 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 thebattleshipAlmirante Grau.
Matto de Turner eventually moved from Tinta to live inLima, 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 ofEl Peru Ilustrado, where she published many of her novels.[1] She published three novels between 1889 and 1895:Aves Sin Nido (Birds Without a Nest),Indole (Character), andHerencia (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 wasAves Sin Nido (translated as "Torn from the Nest")(1889).[1] 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 aBrazilian writer by the name ofHenrique Coelho Neto in her newspaper,El Perú Illustrado. Her controversial writings led to herexcommunication by theArchbishop.
In 1895, she moved toBuenos Aires,Argentina, where she continued her literary activities.[1] In 1900, she wroteBoreales, 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 foundedBúcaro 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 bookViaje de Recreo (Trip of Amusement). The book was released in newspapers upon her death in 1909.
In 2010, amausoleum was constructed in aCuzco cemetery for her remains.[2]
In 2022, a park in Peru was named in her honor.
TheNational Library of Peru declared her works as part of the cultural patrimony of Peru,[3] honored her with a revised edition of her works,[4] and later on their website on the 172nd anniversary of her birth in 2024.[5]
Mediante propuesta de declaratoria promovida por la Biblioteca Nacional del Perú (BNP), el Ministerio de Cultura (Mincul) declaró como Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación la producción académica de la escritora peruana Clorinda Matto de Turner
Luz Vargas y Luis Naters presentaron hace poco en la Feria Internacional del Libro de Lima la reedición Hima Sumac, única obra teatral que se le conoce a Clorinda Matto de Turner.
