Ricardo Palma was born on February 7th 1833, the illegitimate mixed-race son of a humble family. He was to become a prolific author and household name in his lifetime. The bulk of Palma’s extensive oeuvre is found in the Tradiciones Peruanas [Peruvian Traditions] – a hybrid genre that he is credited with inventing. Despite the deliberately archaic appearance of the tradiciones (many of which are set in the colonial period), Palma has increasingly come to be appreciated as a foundational figure for modern Latin American narrative.
Palma was apparently brought up principally by his grandmother and other female relatives in a house in the historic centre of Lima, next to the old Inquisition …
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Citation: Sampson Vera Tudela, Elisa. "Ricardo Palma". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 May 2012 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12909, accessed 23 November 2024.]