List of Latin American writers

Last updated August 01, 2025

This is a list of some of the most important writers from Latin America, organized by cultural region and nationality. The focus is on Latin American literature.

Andeans

Bolivia

Alcides Arguedas (1879–1946), historian
Matilde Casazola
Javier del Granado (1913–1996), poet
Alfonso Gumucio Dagron
Víctor Montoya
Edmundo Paz Soldán (born 1967), novelist
Jaime Sáenz (1921–1986), poet and novelist
José Ignacio de Sanjinés (1786–1864), poet
Pedro Shimose
Gastón Suárez (1929–1984), novelist and dramatist
Franz Tamayo (1878–1956), poet
Adela Zamudio (1854–1928), poet and novelist

Chile

Brazil

Adalgisa Nery (1905–1980)
Adélia Prado (born 1935)
Adolfo Caminha (1867–1897)
Adonias Filho (1915–1990)
Afonso Arinos (1868–1916)
Alberto de Oliveira (1859–1937)
Alcântara Machado (1901–1935)
Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay (1843–1899)
Alice Dayrell Caldeira Brant (1880–1970)
Aluísio de Azevedo (1857–1913)
Alvarenga Peixoto (1744–1792)
Álvares de Azevedo (1831–1852)
Ana Cristina César (1952–1983)
Ana Maria Machado (born 1941)
Ana Miranda (born 1951)
Aníbal Machado (1894–1964)
Antônio Gonçalves Dias (1823–1864)
Antônio José da Silva (O Judeu) (1705–1793)
António Vieira (1608–1697)
Ariano Suassuna (1927–2014)
Aristides Fraga Lima (1923–1996?)
Artur Azevedo (1855–1908)
Augusto de Campos (born 1931)
Augusto de Lima (1859–1934)
Augusto dos Anjos (1884–1914)
Autran Dourado (1926–2012)
Basílio da Gama (1741–1795)
Bernardo Guimarães (1825–1884)
Camilo Pessanha (1867–1926)
Carolina Maria de Jesus (1914–1977)
Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902–1987)
Casimiro de Abreu (1839–1860)
Castro Alves (1847–1862)
Cassiano Ricardo (1895–1974)
Cecília Meireles (1901–1964)
Clarice Lispector (1925–1977)
Cláudio Manuel da Costa (1729–1789)
Conceição Evaristo (born 1946)
Cora Coralina (1889–1985)
Cruz e Sousa (1861–1898)
Dias Gomes (1922–1999)
Érico Veríssimo (1905–1975)
Euclides da Cunha (1866–1909)
Fabrício Carpi Nejar (born 1972)
Ferreira Gullar (1930–2016)
Gilberto Mendonça Teles (1931–2024)
Gonçalves de Magalhães (1811–1882)
Graça Aranha (1868–1931)
Graciliano Ramos (1892–1953)
Gregório de Matos (1636–1696)
Gustavo Dourado (born 1960)
Haroldo de Campos (1929–2003)
Henriqueta Lisboa (1901–1985)
Hilda Hilst (1930–2004)
João Cabral de Melo Neto (1920–1999)
João do Rio (1881–1921)
João Gilberto Noll (1946–2017)
João Guimarães Rosa (1908–1967)
João Simões Lopes Neto (1865–1916)
João Ubaldo Ribeiro (1941–2014)
Joaquim Manuel de Macedo (1820–1882)
Jorge Amado (1912–2001)
José de Alencar (1829–1877)
José Lins do Rego (1901–1957)
José Mauro de Vasconcelos (1920–1984)
Laerte (born 1951)
Lima Barreto (1881–1922)
Lúcia Machado de Almeida (1910–2005)
Lya Luft (1938–2021)
Lygia Fagundes Telles (1923–2022)
Machado de Assis (1839–1908)
Manuel Bandeira (1886–1968)
Manuel de Araújo Porto-alegre (1777–1838)
Márcio Souza (1946–2024)
Mário de Andrade (1893–1945)
Mario Quintana (1906–1994)
Martins Pena (1815–1848)
Menotti Del Picchia (1892–1988)
Milton Hatoum (born 1952)
Monteiro Lobato (1882–1948)
Murilo Mendes (1901–1975)
Narbal Fontes (1902–1960)
Nélida Piñon (1937–2022)
Nélson Rodrigues (1912–1980)
Olavo Bilac (1865–1918)
Orígenes Lessa (1903–1986)
Osman Lins (1924–1978)
Oswald de Andrade (1890–1954)
Pagu (1910–1962)
Paulo Coelho (born 1947)
Paulo Leminski (1944–1989)
Paulo Lins (born 1958)
Pedro Bloch (1914–2004)
Rachel de Queiroz (1910–2003)
Raul Pompéia (1863–1895)
Rubem Braga (1913–1990)
Rubem Fonseca (1925–2020)
Sérgio Sant'Anna (1941–2020)
Socorro Acioli (born 1975)
Sousândrade (1833–1902)
Tomás Antônio Gonzaga (1744–1819)
Vladimir Herzog (1930–1975)
Zélia Gattai (1916–2008)
Ziraldo Alves Pinto (1932–2024)

Caribbean

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Haiti

Puerto Rico

Central America

Costa Rica

El Salvador

Manlio Argueta, novelist
Roque Dalton, poet and revolutionary
Jacinta Escudos, novelist
Claudia Lars, poet
Salarrué (Salvador Salazar Arrué), novelist, poet, painter

Guatemala

Miguel Angel Asturias, Nobel prize winner MiguelAngelAsturias.JPG — Miguel Angel Asturias, Nobel prize winner

Miguel Ángel Asturias (1899–1974), Nobel Prize in Literature winner (1967)
Marco Antonio Flores (1937–2013)
Augusto Monterroso (1921–2003)

Honduras

Óscar Acosta (1933–2014), poet and critic
Ramón Amaya Amador (1916–1966), novelist and journalist
Eduardo Bähr (born 1940)
Augusto Coello (1884–1941)
Julio Escoto (born 1944)
Javier Abril Espinoza (born 1967)
Lucila Gamero de Medina (1873–1964)
Juan Ramón Molina (1875–1908), poet
Leticia de Oyuela (1935–2008)
Roberto Sosa (1930–2011), poet
Juan Pablo Suazo Euceda (born 1972)
Froylán Turcios (1874–1943)

Nicaragua

Ernesto Cardenal is a poet, Catholic priest and was one of the most famous liberation theologians of the Sandinista Regime. ErnestoCardenal.jpg — Ernesto Cardenal is a poet, Catholic priest and was one of the most famous liberation theologians of the Sandinista Regime.

Claribel Alegría (1924–2018), poet, received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2006
Emilio Álvarez Lejarza (1884–1969), writer
Emilio Álvarez Montalván (1919–2014), political writer
Gioconda Belli (born 1948), poet
Tomás Borge (1930–2012), writer, poet, and essayist
Omar Cabezas (born 1950), writer
Ernesto Cardenal (1925–2020), poet
Blanca Castellón (born 1958), poet
José Coronel Urtecho (1906–1994), poet, translator, essayist, critic, narrator, playwright, and historian
Alfonso Cortés (1893–1969), poet
Arturo Cruz (born 1954), writer
Pablo Antonio Cuadra (1912–2002), poet
Rubén Darío (1867–1916), poet, referred to as the "father of Modernism"
Karly Gaitán Morales (born 1980), film historian, and writer
Salomón Ibarra Mayorga (1887–1985), poet and lyricist of "Salve a ti, Nicaragua", the Nicaraguan national anthem
Erwin Krüger (1915–1973), poet and composer
Francisco Mayorga (born 1949), writer
Christianne Meneses Jacobs (born 1971), writer, editor, and publisher
Rosario Murillo (born 1951), poet
Azarías H. Pallais (1884–1954), poet
Joaquín Pasos (1914–1947), poet
Horacio Peña (born 1946), writer and poet
Sergio Ramírez (born 1942), writer
Arlen Siu (died 1972), essayist
Julio Valle Castillo (born 1952), poet, novelist, essayist, literary critic and art critic
Daisy Zamora (born 1950), poet

Panama

Rosa María Britton, writer
Gloria Guardia, novelist and essayist
María Olimpia de Obaldía
Ricardo Miró, poet
José Luis Rodríguez Pittí, writer and photographer

Mexico

Isabel Fraire (1934–2015)
Nezahualcóyotl (1402–1472)
Juan Ruiz de Alarcón (1581–1639)
Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695)
José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi (1776–1827)
Ignacio Manuel Altamirano (1834–1893)
José Rosas Moreno (1838–1883)
Manuel Acuña (1849–1873)
Salvador Díaz Mirón (1853–1928)
Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera (1858–1895)
Amado Nervo (1870–1919)
Mariano Azuela (1873–1952)
Alfonso Reyes (1889–1959)
Bruno Traven (1890–1969)
Manuel Maples Arce (1898–1981)
Germán List Arzubide (1898–1998)
Carlos Pellicer (1899–1977)
Arqueles Vela (1899–1977)
Nellie Campobello (1900–1986)
Antonieta Rivas Mercado (1900–1931)
Esperanza Zambrano (1901–1992)
Xavier Villaurrutia (1903–1951)
Agustín Yáñez (1904–1980)
Salvador Novo (1904–1974)
Guadalupe Dueñas (1910–2002)
Octavio Paz (1914–1998)
José Revueltas (1914–1976)
Elena Garro (1917–1998)
Pita Amor (1918–2000)
Alí Chumacero (1918–2010)
Juan José Arreola (1918–2001)
Juan Rulfo (1918–1986)
Ricardo Garibay (1923–1999)
Rosario Castellanos (1925–1974)
Jaime Sabines (1926–1999)
Tomás Segovia (1927–2011)
Jorge Ibargüengoitia (1928–1983)
Amparo Dávila (1928–2020)
Carlos Fuentes (1928–2012)
Margo Glantz (born 1930)
Salvador Elizondo (1932–2006)
Elena Poniatowska (born 1932)
Juan García Ponce (1932–2003)
Vicente Leñero (1933–2014)
Sergio Pitol (1933–2018)
Gabriel Zaid (born 1934)
Fernando del Paso (1935–2018)
Carlos Monsiváis (1938–2010)
José Emilio Pacheco (1939–2014)
Jesús Gardea (1939–2000)
Homero Aridjis (born 1940)
Héctor Aguilar Camín (born 1946)
Paco Ignacio Taibo II (born 1949)
Ángeles Mastretta (born 1949)
Laura Esquivel (born 1950)
Luis Zapata (1951–2020)
Carmen Boullosa (born 1954)
Juan Villoro (born 1956)
Guillermo Arriaga (born 1958)
Malva Flores (born 1961)
Patricia Laurent Kullick (born 1962)
Elvia Ardalani (born 1963)
Sandra Cisneros

Rioplatenses

Paraguay

Uruguay

References

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