Ricardo Palma

Peruvian writer

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Oct. 2, 2026 •History

Ricardo Palma (born February 7, 1833, Lima, Peru—died October 6, 1919, Lima) was a Peruvian writer best known for his collected legends of colonial Peru, one of the most popular collections in Spanish American literature.

At age 20 Palma joined the Peruvian navy and in 1860 was forced by political exigencies to flee to Chile, where he devoted himself to journalism. Six years later he returned to Lima to join the revolutionary movement against Spain. He also took part in the War of the Pacific (1879–83; it arose between Peru and Chile as a dispute over territory) and during the Chilean occupation courageously protested against the wanton destruction of the famous National Library by Chilean troops. After the war Palma was commissioned to rebuild the National Library; he remained its curator until his death. In 1887 he founded the Peruvian Academy, a learned society.

Palma’s literary career began in his youth with light verses, romantic plays, and translations from Victor Hugo. His Anales de la inquisición de Lima (1863; “Annals of the Inquisition of Lima”) was followed by several volumes of poems. His fame derives chiefly from his charmingly impudent Tradiciones peruanas (1872; “Peruvian Traditions”)—short prose sketches that mingle fact and fancy about the pageantry and intrigue of colonial Peru. His sources were the folktales, legends, and pungent gossip of his elders, in addition to historical bits gleaned from the National Library. The first six volumes of this series appeared between 1872 and 1883; they were followed by Ropa vieja (1889; “Old Clothes”), Ropa apolillada (1891; “Moth-Eaten Clothes”), Mis últimas tradiciones (1906; “My Last Traditions”), and Apéndice a mis últimas tradiciones (1910; “Appendix to My Last Traditions”). A series of racy legends, Tradiciones en salsa verde (“Traditions in Green [Piquant] Sauce”), were published posthumously.