Clarinda (poet)

Clarinda was the pen name used by an anonymous Peruvian poet, generally assumed to be a woman, who wrote in the early 17th Century. The only work attributed to her is the long poem Discourse in Praise of Poetry , which was printed in Seville in 1608. She is one of very few female, Spanishspeaking colonialperiod poets whose work has not been lost. Thus, she is often read in partnership with Mexicos Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz and fellow Peruvian Amarilis, whose identity is also uncertain.

Clarinda was born in the latter half of the 16th Century and was likely a member of the criollo caste, therefore of pure Spanish ancestry, born in the Spanish colonies. Her writing, which depends heavily on Greek and Biblical allusions, indicates that she was well read and educated. With few exceptions, women under Spanish colonial rule were not encouraged to write, and women who did write typically learned to do so on their own and knowing their work would not find acceptance from the men who dominated the literary tradition. Fear of rejection or persecution may have been what prompted Clarinda to adopt a pseudonym.

Source: Wikipedia