In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life of Lucila Godoy Alcayaga—better known to the world as Gabriela Mistral—the Chilean poet and educator who became the first Latin American author to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Join us as we trace her journey from a poverty-stricken childhood in the Andean village of Montegrande to her rise as a world-renowned diplomat and writer,. We discuss how a rural schoolteacher with no formal degree was invited to reform Mexico’s education system and how she eventually became a consul representing Chile across Europe and the Americas,.

Key topics in this episode include:

• Tragedy and Art: How the suicide of her first love and the later tragic death of her nephew, "Yin Yin," shaped the sorrowful and powerful themes in her major works like Sonetos de la muerte and Lagar,.

• The "Poet of Motherhood": An examination of her poetry collections Desolación and Ternura, which explore nature, betrayal, and a deep love for children,.

• A Private Life Revealed: The controversy surrounding her sexuality, her relationship with Doris Dana, and how the discovery of intimate letters in 2007 challenged the dictatorship’s portrayal of her as a symbol of "social order".

Tune in to learn about the woman whose face appears on the 5,000 Chilean peso banknote and whose voice "shook the world",.