Bolivian literature

The constant political turmoil that Bolivia has experienced throughout its history has slowed the development of Bolivian literature. Many talents have had to emigrate or were silenced by the internal conflict. In recent years the literature of Bolivia has been in a process of growth, with the appearance of new writers. Older writers such as Adela Zamudio, Oscar Alfaro, and Franz Tamayo continue to be important.

Nearly half of Bolivia's population speaks indigenous languages such as Quechua, Aymara or Guarani. The indigenous peoples of Bolivia have a rich oral tradition, as expressed in myths, legends, and stories; these stories generally have not been transcribed in writing.

Notable writers
Notable Bolivian writers include: • Nataniel Aguirre

• Óscar Alfaro

• Víctor Hugo Arévalo Jordán

• Alcides Arguedas

• Alcira Cardona

• Oscar Cerruto

• Armando Chirveches

• Adolfo Costa du Rels

• Gary Daher Canedo

• Antonio Díaz Villamil

• Javier del Granado

• Isabel Mesa de Inchauste

• Juan Pablo Piñeiro

• Enrique Finot

• Ricardo Jaimes Freyre

• Jesús Lara Lara

• Juan Claudio Lechín

• Porfirio Diaz Machicao

• Carlos Medinaceli

• Jaime Mendoza

• Víctor Montoya

• Gabriel René Moreno

• María Josefa Mujia

• Gustavo Navarro

• Gustavo Adolfo Otero

• Natalia Palacios

• Manuel Rigoberto Paredes

• Renato Prada Oropeza

• Fausto Reinaga

• Jaime Sáenz

• Pedro Shimose

• Gastón Suárez

• Franz Tamayo

• Victor Hugo Vizcarra

• Juan Wallparrimachi

• Adela Zamudio

• Augusto Céspedes

• Blanca Wiethüchter

• Armando Soriano Badani

• Ramón Rocha Monroy

• Giovanna Rivero

• Edmundo Paz Soldán

• Eduardo Mitre

• Gonzalo Lema

• Eduardo Scott

The Bolivian Novel
In 2004, a book-length survey of the best Bolivian novels was published. It attempted to identify the top 10 novels in Bolivian literature, winnowing them down from a longer list of 91 novels. The study was done by Carlos Diego de Mesa Gisbert. Below is the list of top 30 novels as identified in the book.
 * 1) Juan de la Rosa (1909) by Nataniel Aguirre
 * 2) Raza de Bronce (1919) by Alcides Arguedas
 * 3) La Chaskanawi (1947) by Carlos Medinaceli
 * 4) Los deshabitados (1959) by Marcelo Quiroga
 * 5) Aluvión de fuego (1935) by Oscar Cerruto
 * 6) Metal del diablo (1946) by Augusto Cespedes
 * 7) Matias el apostol suplente (1971) by Julio de la Vega
 * 8) Manchay Puytu (1977) by Nestor Taboada Teran
 * 9) Felipe Delgado (1979) by Jaime Saenz
 * 10) Tierras hechizadas (1932) by Adolfo Costa du Reis
 * 11) La candidatura de Rojas (1909) by Armando Chirveches
 * 12) Tirinea (1969) by Jesus Urzagasti
 * 13) Los fundadores del alba (1969) by Renato Prada Oropeza
 * 14) En las tierras del Potosi (1911) by Jaime Mendoza
 * 15) Yanakuna (1952) by Jesús Lara Lara
 * 16) Socavones de angustia (1947) by Fernando Ramirez Velarde
 * 17) Altiplano (1945) by Raul Botelho Gozalvez
 * 18) La casa solariega (1916) by Armando Chirveches
 * 19) La nina de sus ojos (1948) by Antonio Diaz Villamil
 * 20) La sima fecunda (1933) by Augusto Guzman
 * 21) Los Andes no creen en Dios (1973) by Adolfo Costa du Reis
 * 22) Mallku (1974) by Gaston Suarez
 * 23) El signo escalonado (1975) by Nestor Taboada Teran
 * 24) Historia de la Villa Imperial (1736) by Bartolome Arzans
 * 25) Su excelencia y su ilustrisima (1889) by Santiago Vaca Guzman
 * 26) Paginas barbaras (1914) by Jaime Mendoza
 * 27) Sangre de mestizos (1936) by Augusto Cespedes
 * 28) Repete (1937) by Jesús Lara Lara
 * 29) Prisionero de guerra (1938) by Augusto Guzman
 * 30) Mateo Montemayor (1969) by Fernando Diez de Medina