Maité Allamand (29 October 1911 – 3 January 1996) was a Chilean writer and diplomat. Born Jeanne Dominique Marie Therese Allamand Madaune to a French family based in Chile, she was an influential figure in the early development of

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

in that country. She was the director of the

PEN Club PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internationa ...

and a member of the

International Board on Books for Young People The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is an international non-profit organization committed to bringing books and children together. The headquarters of the IBBY are located in Basel, Switzerland. IBBY history In 1952, Jella Lepm ...

(IBBY). She received several awards, including the 1962 Municipal Prize of Santiago in the short story category and the 1969 IBBY CRAV prize.

Biography

Maité Allamand spent her childhood in the countryside on the banks of the

Maule River The Maule river or Río Maule ( Mapudungun: ''rainy'') is one of the most important rivers of Chile. It is inextricably linked to the country's pre-Hispanic (Inca) times, the country's conquest, colonial period, wars of Independence, modern hist ...

, after her father's job transferred him there. This rural environment influenced her later work. In 1920 she enrolled in the Sacred Heart College of

Talca Talca () is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, Chile, Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the ...

, where she learned to speak and read

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

. After finishing her education, Allamand worked in the legation to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, thanks to her mastery of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. She remained in this position from 1932 until 1940, when she married the doctor and researcher Luis Hervé.

Select bibliography

* 1933 - ''Cosas de campo'' * 1936 - ''Parvas viejas'' * 1944 - ''Renovales'' * 1950 - ''Alamito el Largo'' * 1960 - ''El funeral del diablo'' * 1966 - ''Huellas en la ciudad'' * 1969 - ''El sueño y la lumbre'' * 1974 - ''La niña de las trenzas de lana'' * 1991 - ''Cerrín que quería crecer'' * 1993 - ''El buzón colorado''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allamand, Maite 1911 births 1996 deaths Chilean diplomats 20th-century Chilean novelists Chilean women novelists Chilean people of French descent Chilean women short story writers Chilean women children's writers Chilean children's writers Writers from Santiago 20th-century Chilean women writers Chilean women diplomats