Famous Latin Americans and Inspirational Quotes

Julio Cortázar was born in Belgium to Argentine parents but grew up in Buenos Aires, eventually becoming a novelist, short story writer, essayist and translator. A master of the ‘fantastic’ short story form, Cortázar is known as one of the major forces in the Latin American Boom – a period spanning the 1960s and 1970s in which the region’s artists and intellectuals gained greater international attention than they had previously. Several places in Buenos Aires bear his name, including a square in the Palermo neighborhood.

Argentine short story writer, essayist, poet and translator Jorge Luis Borges is best-known for his compilations of short stories in Ficciones (Fictions) and El Aleph (The Aleph). With his works addressing themes such as dreams, labyrinths, libraries, mirrors, fiction writing, philosophy and religion, Borges has contributed significantly to philosophical literature and the fantasy genre.

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Chilean poet-diplomat Pablo Neruda was referred to as “the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language” by Gabriel García Márquez. Having written poetry since he was a teenager, Neruda was known for his surrealist poems, historical epics, political manifestos and erotically-charged love poems. He was also known for writing in green ink – his personal symbol for desire and hope.

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The man whose face has become a countercultural icon of rebellion, Ernesto “Che” Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist who became a major figure of the Cuban Revolution. Undoubtedly one of the most famous Latin Americans the world over, Che Guevara earned his famous nickname due to his frequent use of the Argentine che, similar to the American ‘bro’ or the Canadian ‘eh’.

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David Fischman Kalincausky was born in Lima and is a writer, columnist, international speaker and consultant on issues of leadership and personal improvement. He was a founding member of the technological institute Cibertec, and also helped found the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (UBC) in 1994.

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Pancho Segura is a former leading tennis player born in Guayaquil, but also a citizen of the US. Segura is only player to have won the US Pro title on three different surfaces. What’s more, he did this consecutively from 1950 to 1952, eventually also winning the spot of World Co-No.1 player in 1953 with Pancho Gonzales from the US.

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Born in San Juan, Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was an actor who performed in Broadway and off-Broadway plays, in television and films, and in mobile projects such as The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre. Performing to critical acclaim in Two Gentlemen of Verona and Kiss of the Spider Woman Raúl Juliá has been posthumously awarded a Golden Globe and Emmy Award for The Burning Season.

Have these inspirational quotes from famous Latin Americans given you the boost you need to pursue a study abroad adventure in Latin America?

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