The decision to add a second T to her surname was a calculated choice to reflect an Inca flavor, marking the literary path of an author who bridged the gap between colonial heritage and indigenous identity. Born in 1854, Clorinda Matto de Turner challenged Peruvian societal norms through her journalism, novels, and advocacy for education.
Early Development in Cusco
Raised in the former Inca capital, she spent her formative years at the Paullo Chico estate near Coya. She attended the Colegio Educandas, where her curriculum diverged from traditional expectations by focusing on Philosophy, Natural History, and Physics. Following her marriage to a British landowner, Dr. Turner, in 1871, she relocated to Tinta for a decade. This period in the highlands deeply influenced her writing, as she observed the contrasting realities of colonial society and indigenous life.
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Upon the death of her husband in 1881, she moved to Arequipa to serve as editor-in-chief of the newspaper La Bolsa Americana. Her professional career flourished across various publications including El Tiempo, La Razón, and El Perú Ilustrado, where she functioned as director starting in 1887. Her work as a journalist provided a platform to campaign for women's education and critique the treatment of indigenous people, often placing her at odds with political and religious authorities.
Literary Impact and Exile
She achieved prominence with the 1889 novel Aves sin nido, which explored the disenfranchisement of indigenous communities and the conduct of the clergy. The inclusion of controversial material in El Perú Ilustrado resulted in her excommunication. Faced with political pressure, she relocated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1895. In exile, she founded the publication Búcaro Americano, worked as a professor at a local university, and authored the 1900 essay collection Boreales, Miniaturas y Porcelanas.
Linguistic and Scholarly Contributions
Beyond her original fiction, including the novels Índole and Herencia, she was a dedicated translator. She translated the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistle to the Romans into Cusco Quechua. Her later career included documenting a European tour in the book Viaje de recreo, published in 1909, the same year she died in Buenos Aires.
Fast facts
- Born: 1854, Coya, Peru
- Died: 1909, Buenos Aires
- Educated at: Colegio Educandas
- Most famous novel: Aves sin nido (1889)
- Languages: Spanish and Cusco Quechua
- Notable employers: El Perú Ilustrado, La Nación, Búcaro Americano
- Literary genres: Novel, essay, drama, journalism
Questions readers ask
Why was her writing considered controversial?
Her work often depicted indigenous people in a sympathetic light and criticized the moral standing of priests, leading to her eventual excommunication by the Archbishop.
What was the significance of her transition to Argentina?
Following political friction in Peru, she moved to Buenos Aires in 1895, where she continued her writing career, taught at a university, and founded the publication Búcaro Americano.