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Looking for a good book to read while you're traveling in Chile? Check out my list of books about Chile and by Chilean authors.
The House of the Spirits
Often called “the world’s most widely read Spanish-language author,” Allende has written numerous instant classics and was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014. What began as a letter to her dying grandfather turned into an international bestseller and a staple of the genre of magical realism. This is a must-read whether or not you ever plan to visit Chile. (Book recommended by H.E. Juan Gabriel Valdés, Chilean ambassador to the U.S., in CN Traveler.)
In Patagonia
An instant classic upon its publication in 1977, the travelogue helped revitalize the travel writing genre and is still considered a “little masterpiece of travel, history, and adventure” (per the NYT). The experimental structure of the book lends to its nomadic themes, as the author describes the land and wildlife he discovered on his six-month journey through Argentina and Chile. Along the way, Chatwin shares the region’s history, including such diverse tales as how Butch Cassidy left his mark in the area and the profound, often tragic, consequences of colonial expansion for the native inhabitants. Chatwin went on to write another travel-inspired book, The Songlines, about Aboriginal Australians, which was published shortly before his death in 1989.
The Motorcycle Diaries
During his nine-month journey through Latin America, a 23-year-old Che is roused by the poverty and social injustices he witnesses from the seat of his one-cylinder motorcycle, thus planting the seed for him to become the world’s most famous Marxist revolutionary — and future symbol of counterculturalism. Continued interest in Guevara’s life has landed his memoir on The New York Times bestseller list on multiple occasions.
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