Ricardo A. Latcham
Ricardo A. Latcham | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 15 May 1937 – 15 May 1941 | |
| Constituency | 7th Departamental Grouping |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 March 1903 |
| Died | 26 January 1965 (aged 61) |
| Party | Socialist Party (PS) Popular Freedom Alliance (APL) |
| Spouse | Alicia Rivera |
| Parent | Ricardo E. Latcham |
| Occupation | Politician |
Ricardo Andrés Latcham Alfaro (17 April 1903 – 26 January 1965) was a Chilean writer, literary critic, historian, academic and politician. A founding member of the Socialist Party, he served as deputy for Santiago between 1937 and 1941 and developed an outstanding international career as an intellectual and diplomat.[1]
Biography
Latcham Alfaro was born in La Serena on 17 April 1903, the son of Ricardo Eduardo Latcham and Sara Alfaro Aspe. He married Alicia Rivera Reyes.[1]
He completed his secondary education at the Luis Campino Institute of Humanities and the Instituto Nacional. Between 1927 and 1929, he pursued higher studies in Madrid and Barcelona, earning degrees in Spanish Literary History and General History.[1]
He became one of the most distinguished literary critics in the Spanish language. In addition to his work as a critic, he was an essayist, polemicist and orator of recognized prestige. He authored numerous books and hundreds of articles published in Chilean, Spanish, American and European journals and newspapers.[1]
From 1931 onward, he pursued an academic career. Through competitive examination, he obtained professorships in Spanish Literature and served as extraordinary professor of Chilean and Hispano-American Literature at the University of Chile, becoming a member of its Faculty of Philosophy and Education Sciences. Between 1941 and 1952, he worked as literary critic and editor for the newspaper La Nación in Santiago and founded the journal Criterium.[1]
Political career
Latcham Alfaro was a founding member of the Socialist Party. He served as councillor (regidor) for Santiago, being elected in 1935.[1]
In the parliamentary elections, he was elected deputy for the Seventh Departmental Grouping of Santiago (First District), serving during the 1937–1941 legislative period. During his tenure, he was a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations and served as substitute member of the Standing Committee on Finance.[1]
He also taught History and Economics at the Socialist Youth Federation and collaborated with the party journal Consigna.[1]
Diplomatic and later career
Between 1941 and 1948, Latcham Alfaro served as a Chilean diplomat, acting as special envoy to Argentina and Uruguay. In 1948, he was delegate of Chile to the IX Pan-American Conference held in Bogotá.[1]
He later served as Ambassador of Chile to Uruguay between 1959 and 1963 and was appointed Head of Cultural Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1963, with ambassadorial rank.[1]
He was president of the PEN Club for several terms, president of the Chilean–Colombian Institute of Culture, and from 1958, president of the Society of Writers of Chile. He was a member of the Chilean Academy of Language, the Royal Spanish Academy, the Uruguayan Academy of Letters, and Brazilian and Uruguayan cultural institutions. He frequently served as juror for major literary awards, including the Chilean National Literature Prize.[1]
In 1965, he was invited by the University of Havana to participate as a juror for the Casa de las Américas Literary Prize. He accepted the invitation and died in Havana, Cuba, on 26 January 1965.[1]