Literary critics agree that Oscar Cerruto is among the five most important writers of Bolivian literature of the twentieth century. Cerruto produced one of the most important social novels of Bolivia, Aluvión de fuego (Flood of Fire, 1935), about the Chaco War between his country and Paraguay; his short stories changed the literary realism dominant in Bolivian literature; and finally, he wrote a distinctive poetry regarded as a zenith of lyrical perfection. His literary work also includes essays and literary criticism as well as a grammar of Spanish. It is fair to say that although his prose may be as significant as his poetry, he is perceived more as a poet than a prose writer. His literary activity was accompanied by a career in the foreign service and a permanent involvement with the press.

Oscar Cerruto Collier was born in La Paz, Bolivia, on 13 June 1912. His father...