Cerruto, Oscar

(1912–1981)

   Bolivian poet, novelist, journalist, and diplomat. Born in La Paz, Cerruto is hailed as one of the most important poetic voices of 20th-century Bolivia. He worked for several newspapers in his country and served as ambassador to Uruguay in 1965.

   He is credited as being the first Bolivian novelist to explore the aftermath of the Chaco Wars (1928–1930, 1932–1935), in which Bolivia was soundly defeated by Paraguay. In his novel Aluvión de fuego (1935, Torrent of Fire), the effects of the conflicts on the population and the concomitant popular movement known as the National Revolution serve as background to understanding the Bolivian “dirty war” of 1971–1982. Widely admired by Bolivian intellectuals, he has been described by the Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature as “one of the most coherent Marxist voices of the era.”

   Cerruto was a member of the Academia Boliviana de la Lengua. In addition to his novel Cerruto published Cerco de penumbras (1958, Circle of Shadows), a collection of short stories on Bolivian daily life. His poetry was posthumously collected in one volume, Cántico traspasado.