Alcorta, Gloria (1915—)

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Alcorta, Gloria (1915—)

Argentinean author and sculptor. Born in 1915 in Argentina; daughter of a French diplomat; granddaughter of the author Eduarda Mansilla de García. Works include nine books of poetry, fiction or drama, as well as sculpture.

Born the daughter of the Argentinean diplomat to France, Gloria Alcorta studied French, which became her second language. In Paris, she was a student of the dramatic arts from 1932 to 1938. She launched her career first as a sculptor, however, winning prizes in both Buenos Aires and Paris. Alcorta published her first volume of verse, written in French, when she was just 20. Illustrated by Héctor Basaldú;a, La prison de l'enfant (The Child's Prison) included an introduction by Jorge Luis Borges, who remained an advocate of her work. Two of her plays were written in French and produced in Paris. The novel El hotel de la luna (The Moon Hotel, 1958), penned in Spanish, is Alcorta's most recognized work.

Crista Martin , Boston, Massachusetts