Mercedes Carvajal de Arocha
Mercedes Carvajal de Arocha known as Lucila Palacios (8 November, 1902 – 31 August, 1994) was a Trinidadian-Venezuelan writer, politician and diplomat. She was the first woman member of the Academia Venezolana de la Lengua.
Mercedes Carvajal de Arocha | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 November, 1902 Port of Spain, Trinidad |
| Died | 31 August, 1994 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Pen name | Lucila Palacios |
| Nationality | Trinidadian-Venezuelan |
Life
Carvajal was born on the island of Trinidad in 1902 in Port of Spain.[1] She took the nom de plume of Lucila Palacios. She chose the name of Lucila in honour of the Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral whose real first name was Lucila. Her new surname was taken from Concepción Palacios who was Simon Bolivar's mother.[2] She married Carlos Arocha and they had four children.[1]
In 1931 she began writing and in 1947 she was a representative in the National Constituent Assembly. From 1948 to 1952 she was a senator. During this time she was raped. She was known for defending the rights of women and children.
She wrote short stories, poems and novels in Spanish. She won a number of prestigious awards and she was the first woman member of the Academia Venezolana de la Lengua who are interested in Venezuelan Spanish.
In 1963 she became her country's ambassador to Uruguay.
Carvajal died in Caracas in 1994.
Legacy
Her novels have been studied and published as The Political Novels of Lucila Palacios and Marta Lynch.[3]
References
- Who's Who in Latin America: Part III, Columbia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Stanford University Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-8047-0726-8.
- Tomado de los Libros: "¿Qué Celebramos Hoy?" de Vinicio Romero Martínez y Segunda edición "Dicionario de Historia de Venezuela". Fundación Polar. 4.º tomo. Segunda edición
- Lynne Lois Billman (1981). The Political Novels of Lucila Palacios and Marta Lynch. Univ. Microfilm International.
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