Yolanda Bedregal
Yolanda Bedregal (1913-1999) was a prominent Bolivian writer, poet, and educator, recognized as one of the most significant female literary figures in Bolivia. Born in La Paz, she was deeply influenced by her father, a renowned writer, and grew up in an environment that fostered intellectual engagement. Bedregal studied art and art history at the University of La Paz and became the first Bolivian woman to receive a scholarship to Barnard College. After her return to Bolivia, she taught at various educational institutions and began her literary career, publishing her first book, *Naufragio*, in 1936.
Her work often explores themes of childhood, memory, and the political and cultural struggles of Bolivia. Throughout her life, Bedregal received numerous accolades, including induction into the Academia Boliviana de la Lengua and the Erich Guttentag prize for her novel *Bajo el oscuro sol*. She was instrumental in promoting Bolivian poetry and founded the National Union of Poets and Writers. Bedregal's legacy continues to influence Bolivian literature, with a national poetry prize named in her honor, reflecting her enduring impact on the cultural landscape of the Americas.
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Yolanda Bedregal
Writer
- Born: September 21, 1913
- Birthplace: La Paz, Bolivia
- Died: May 21, 1999
- Place of death: La Paz, Bolivia
Biography
Yolanda Bedregal was born in La Paz, Bolivia, on September 21, 1913, to Juan Francisco Bedregal and Carmen Iturri. Her father was a famous writer, and the Bedregal household was a gathering place for the leading Bolivian intellectuals of the day. Bedregal studied art and art history at the University of La Paz and completed her studies in 1936. She became the first Bolivian woman to receive a scholarship to Barnard College of Columbia University in New York, where she began studying in 1936. After returning to Bolivia in 1938, she taught at the School of Fine Arts, the University of San Andrés, and the Music Conservatory in La Paz. She married Gert Conitzer in 1941. He was a German Jewish poet who had come to Bolivia to escape the Nazi regime in his homeland and his work influenced Bedregal deeply. The couple had two children.
Bedregal began writing short stories and poems while still a schoolgirl. While she was in New York, her father had her first book, Naufragio, published as a surprise to her in 1936. This book, along with her second, Poemar (1937), explore childhood and memory. Her later poetry concerns her internal world as well religious experience. Her work earned for her the title “Yolanda of Bolivia” in 1948, conferred on her by the intellectual youth of Bolivia, who were represented by the group known as Gesta Barbara. In addition, the Society of Argentine Writers named her “Yolanda of America.”
Bedregal also produced a number of prizewinning stories and a novel, Bajo el oscuro sol. Much of her prose concerns the political and cultural struggles of Bolivia in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Bedregal also wrote books on art history for children, articles on teaching, and articles about the indigenous Aymara and Quecha cultures of Bolivia. Active in civic and cultural affairs in her homeland, Bedregal worked tirelessly to disseminate Bolivian poetry and writing. She edited two anthologies of Bolivian poetry, and also founded the National Union of Poets and Writers. Bedregal died in La Paz, in the home of her daughter, on May 21, 1999.
Bedregal was recognized and rewarded for her contributions. In 1973, she was inducted into the Academia Boliviana de la Lengua. She won the Erich Guttentag prize for her novel Bajo el oscuro sol, the Grand Order of Bolivian Education, and an important prize given by the city of La Paz for her cultural contributions. The Premio Nacional de Poesía was named in her honor in 2004. Bedregal is generally regarded as the most important woman writer of Bolivia and as a poet, short story writer, novelist and educator who extended the range and influence of Bolivian poetry throughout the Americas. A 2003 National Endowment for the Humanities grant for the translation of Bajo el oscuro sol, which included a biography of the writer, suggested the growth of critical interest in Bedregal and her writing.