Yolanda Bedregal de Cónitzer (21 September 1916 – 21 May 1999) was a
Bolivian poet and novelist, known as ''Yolanda of Bolivia'' (''Yolanda de Bolivia'').
She is known for her explorations of human emotions, and especially in her later years, isolation and loneliness.
Life
Bedregal was born in
La Paz, Bolivia, into a wealthy and academic family. Her father, Juan Francisco Bedregal, was Rector of the
Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, a professor and an influential writer. Her mother was Carmen Iturri Alborta. Bedregal received her
bachillerato
The Spanish Baccalaureate ( es, Bachillerato) is the post-16 stage of education in Spain, comparable to the A Levels/Higher (Scottish) in the UK, the French Baccalaureate in France or the International Baccalaureate. It follows the ESO (compulso ...
(high school diploma) from the prestigious
Instituto Americano de La Paz. She studied at the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes of La Paz, and then went, on a scholarship, to
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in New York City where she studied aesthetics.
Upon her return to La Paz, she taught at various institutions, including the Conservatorio de Música, la Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes, the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, and then at the Academia Benavides de Sucre.
She was the founder and first president of the Bolivian National Union of Poets (''Unión Nacional de Poetas''). She also represented Bolivia in several international congresses and was designated as the Bolivian Ambassador to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
Bedregal published approximately 20 books, which included poetry, narrative and anthologies. Some of her poems were written in collaboration with her husband, Gert Cónitzer, who translated Bedregal's verses into German. She also wrote children's books and published several magazine and newspaper articles on literature, art, pedagogy, religion, myths, folklore, and
Aymara
Aymara may refer to:
Languages and people
* Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language
** Aymara language, the main language within that family
** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...
and
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language
**So ...
craftsmanship.
Bedregal died in La Paz on 21 May 1999.
Works
Her first book of poetry was ''Naufragio'' published in 1936, where her explicit and precise language explored the human condition.
Recording from the Library of Congress
Yolanda Bedregral reads from her own works: Naufragio Poemar, Nadir, Antología mínima, and Bajo el oscuro sol (1979)
Honors and legacy
In 1971, she received the Bolivian National Book award for her novel ''Bajo el oscuro sol'' published that year.
The Bedregal Award for poetry, given by government of Bolivia, was instituted in the year 2000 and named in her honor.
Bolivia issued a postage stamp in her honor in 1993.
[Bolivia Scott #901A. Scott (2008) "Bolivia" ''Scott 2009 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Volume 1'' (165th edition) Scott catalogue, Scott Publishing Co., Sidney, Ohio, page 955. ]
References
Further reading
*
External links
Yolanda Bedregal recorded at the Library of Congress for the Hispanic Division’s audio literary archive on December 11, 1979
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedregal, Yolanda
1916 births
1999 deaths
Bolivian women poets
Writers from La Paz
Bolivian novelists
Columbia University alumni
Bolivian women novelists
20th-century Bolivian women writers
20th-century Bolivian poets
20th-century novelists