Kobre & Kim Honors Gabriela Mistral for Hispanic Heritage Month

October 13, 2020

To celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month, today we honor the award-winning poet and writer Gabriela Mistral for her unique contributions.

Ms. Mistral was born as Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga in Vicuña, Chile, in 1889. Born into a family of teachers and poets, she began working as a teacher’s aide at fifteen. In 1904, Ms. Mistral began publishing poetry in a local newspaper and slowly garnered more attention and popularity. In 1914, she received her first literary award as a part of Chile’s Juegos Florales competition for her work, “Sonnets on Death” (Sonetos de la Muerte). 

Mistral continued her career writing more poetry, teaching and giving lectures throughout Europe and the Americas. Her works touched on motifs of motherhood, faith, nature and mortality, among a broad range of other subjects. In November of 1945, she became the first Latin American and the fifth woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. After a long and impactful career, Mistral passed away in 1957 in Hempstead, New York. She has continued to receive posthumous acclaim and is often considered one of the most influential Latin American poets.