Authors

Peruvian · 1833–1919

Ricardo Palma

Ricardo Palma was a Peruvian author who invented the tradición — a short literary prose form blending history, legend, and anecdote with wit — and applied it to the entire sweep of Peruvian history from Inca times through the republic. His Tradiciones Peruanas, published across four decades, constitute the richest single literary portrait of Peruvian cultural history. He also served as Director of the National Library of Peru for thirty years, heroically rebuilding it after Chilean troops looted it in the War of the Pacific.