Latin American literature
Solitude is a popular theme in Latin American novels and poetry. Love and liberty are also popular themes. The first famous Latin American woman writer was Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. She was a nun who lived in the 17th century. She wrote spiritual poems and religious essays.  Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. She wrote about children, teachers, family, and romance. Argentine poet Alejandra Pizarnik wore prose poems about solitude, madness, and death. Delmira Agustini’s wrote about Greek ideas like Eros (the Greek God of love). Julia de Burgos wrote about Puerto Rico, nature, and independence.  Giannina Braschi writes epic poetry about solitude, immigration, revolution, and freedom.  Many women in Latin America gave spoken testimonials about their lives, such as Rigoberta Menchú. Isabel Allende (House of the Spirits) and Laura Esquivel (Like Water for Chocolate) wrote fantasy novels that became popular movies.