Ricardo Palma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ricardo Palma
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| Born | Manuel Ricardo Palma Carrillo February 7, 1833 Lima, Peru (disputed) |
| Died | October 6, 1919 (aged 86) Miraflores, Lima, Peru |
| Nationality | Peruvian |
| Spouse | Cristina Román Olivier |
| Children | 8, including Angelica Palma and Clemente Palma |
Manuel Ricardo Palma Soriano (born February 7, 1833 – died October 6, 1919) was a famous Peruvian author, scholar, librarian, and politician. His most important work is the Tradiciones peruanas, which are short stories mixing history and fiction.
Contents
About Ricardo Palma
Early Life and Education
Ricardo Palma was born on February 7, 1833, in Lima, Peru. His parents separated when he was young. He went to a Jesuit school and also attended the University of San Carlos.
He even spent six years serving in the Peruvian navy as a volunteer. This was an important part of his early life.
Political Career and Public Service
From a young age, Ricardo Palma was interested in politics. He was part of the liberal group. In 1860, he was involved in some political activities that led to him living in Chile for a short time. He returned to Peru in 1862.
He traveled to Europe in 1864 and 1865. When he came back to Lima, he continued to be active in politics and public service until 1876. He worked as a Consul for Peru in Pará, Brazil, and was a Senator for Loreto. He also held a position in the Ministry of War and Navy.
Rebuilding the National Library
The War of the Pacific (1879–1883) was a big war between Chile and Peru. This war greatly affected Palma's life. His own personal library was destroyed, and the National Library of Peru was also badly damaged.
After the war, Palma became the director of the National Library. He worked very hard to rebuild it. The Chilean army had taken many books during the war. Palma used his friendship with the Chilean president, Domingo Santa María, to get about 10,000 books back.
Thanks to his efforts, the National Library became one of the best libraries in South America again. He stayed in this role until he retired in 1912.
Family Life
Ricardo Palma had eight children. His son, Clemente Palma, became a well-known writer of fantasy and horror stories.
In 1876, Ricardo Palma married Cristina Román y Olivier. They had seven children together. His daughter, Angélica Palma, also became a writer and was an early supporter of women's rights in Peru.
Ricardo Palma's Writings
Early Works and Journalism
Ricardo Palma started writing at a young age. He published his first poems and became the editor of a political newspaper called El Diablo (The Devil) when he was just 15.
In his early years, he wrote romantic plays and poetry. His first book of poems, Poesías, came out in 1855. He also became known as a historian with his book about the Spanish Inquisition in Peru, called Anales De La Inquisicion De Lima: Estudio Historico (1863).
Palma also wrote for satirical newspapers in Peru. He was a regular writer for El Burro (The Donkey) and La Campana (The Bell). He even started his own magazine called La Broma (The Joke). He also contributed to serious publications and worked as a newspaper reporter during the War of the Pacific.
The Tradiciones Peruanas
Ricardo Palma is most famous for creating a special type of story called tradiciones. These are short stories that mix real history with made-up parts. He wrote them to entertain people and to teach them about Peruvian history.
He used his imagination to make these stories fun and interesting, which helped him become very popular in South America. The Tradiciones peruanas cover many centuries of Peruvian history, especially focusing on the colonial period and early years of the republic.
The Tradiciones were published in many books from 1872 to 1910. They are not meant to be exact historical records, but rather historical fiction that you can enjoy. Palma included his own thoughts, and stories he heard from others, in these tales.
One of his most famous Tradiciones is "La camisa de Margarita" (Margarita's Shirt). Some of his Tradiciones peruanas have been translated into English, like The Knights of the Cape and Peruvian Traditions. These stories are a very important part of Peruvian and South American literature.
Other Contributions
After his death, another collection of his stories called Tradiciones en Salsa Verde was published. These were similar to his famous Tradiciones peruanas but were not released during his lifetime.
Ricardo Palma also wrote many articles and books about history based on his own research. He was also a language expert. He wrote books about new words and words used in the Americas. He worked to get the Royal Spanish Academy to recognize words and phrases from Latin America and Peru in the Spanish language.
Personal Letters
In 1999, a collection of 50 letters that Ricardo Palma wrote to a friend in Argentina was put up for sale. The National Library of Peru bought these letters. This was the first time in over 50 years that Peru had bought cultural items from abroad.
Today, these important letters are kept safe at the National Library of Peru. A university named after him, Ricardo Palma University, has also published these letters in three volumes.
Images for kids
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Statue of Palma in Bogotá.
See also
In Spanish: Ricardo Palma para niños
