Foreword

Summary

Violeta Parra continues to be a strong presence in the Latin American imaginary and beyond. From deep in Chile Violeta Parra brought an astonishing creativity to the world with her voice and her hands, making her one of the most inspiring figures of her country and indeed globally. One of her most famous songs, ‘Gracias a la vida’ (Thank you for life), is internationally renowned. After her death, studies continued to consider the essence of this marvellous artist who never failed to move us. This volume is a valuable contribution to the field and a tribute to Parra's continued prominence.

Parra was one of the most complex artists of the century. She was both loved and rejected. The popular media received her with great fervour and she was at the heart of the people's celebration of ‘the eighteenth’, Chilean Independence Day. Yet she was also spurned by upper-class circles. Some people viewed her with distrust and others repudiated her for her lack of etiquette, for her disdain for the bourgeoisie, for dressing like a campesina (peasant) and for being herself. Despite all this, it was the Chilean upper class, particularly the intellectuals of that class, who, in time, also began to understand Violeta Parra and praise her art.

Who was Violeta Parra? Today the presence of her artistic legacy is felt in multiple modes of expression from singing to pottery, from painting to her work as a collector of national culture and folklore. How can we describe the magnitude of her being, which was intimately joined to her soul? These questions are unearthed and explored in this collection edited by Lorna Dillon.

Few artists manage to intertwine their private life with their artistic life with as much authenticity as Violeta Parra. She was a kind of creative volcano and from this volcano she involved all those around her, particularly her brother Nicanor. Leónidas Morales has contributed an important interview to this volume in which he explores the close relationship between Violeta and her brother.