Juana de Ibarbourou

• Name — Juana de Ibarbourou • Birth Name — Juana Fernández Morales • Born — 8 March 1892 • Birthplace — Melo, Uruguay • Died — 15 July 1979 • Place of death — Montevideo, Uruguay • Occupation — Writer • Spouse — Lucas Ibarbourou • Children — Julio César

• Illustration — Juana's birthplace She was born Juana Fernández Morales on March 8, 1892, in Melo, Cerro Largo, Uruguay. The date of Juana's birth is often given as March 8, 1895, but according to a local state civil registry signed by two witnesses, the year was actually 1892. Juana began studies at the José Pedro Varela school in 1899 and moved to a religious school the following year, and two public schools afterwards. In 1909, when she was 17 years old, she published a prose piece, "Derechos femeninos" (women's rights), beginning a lifelong career as a prominent feminist. She married Captain Lucas Ibarbourou Trillo (1879-1942) in a civil ceremony June 28, 1913, and had one child named Julio César Ibarbourou Fernández (1914-1988). In 1918, Juana moved to Montevideo with her family. As was the custom, Juana and Lucas were remarried in a religious ceremony on June 28, 1921, in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Aid. Lucas Ibarbourou died on January 13, 1942. Their son Julio became a compulsive gambler and drug addict and Juana spent nearly all of her money, eventually having to sell her houses, property and jewelry, to pay his debts and the costs of his medical care. Juana de Ibarbourou died on July 15, 1979, in Montevideo, Uruguay. Some of her poems were set to music for voice & piano by Indonesian composer Ananda Sukarlan and now belongs to the repertoire of the genre art song, sung by many classical music vocalists.

Juana de Ibarbourou was an early Latin American feminist. Ibarbourou's feminism is evident in poems such as "La Higuera", in which she describes a fig tree as more beautiful than the straight and blooming trees around it, and "Como La Primavera", in which she asserts that authenticity is more attractive than any perfume. Also, in "La Cita", Ibarbourou extols her naked form devoid of traditional ornamentation, comparing her natural features to various material accessories and finding in favor of her unadorned body.

Nature imagery and eroticism define a great body of Ibarbourou's poetry.

Ibarbourou's depiction of death in her poetry was not consistent throughout her body of work. In "La Inquietud Fugaz", Ibarbourou portrayed a binary, final death consistent with Western tradition. In "Vida-Garfio" and "Carne Inmortal", however, Ibarbourou describes her dead body giving rise to plant life, allowing her to live on. In "Rebelde", one of her most richly constructed poems, Ibarbourou details a confrontation between herself and Charon, the ferryman of the River Styx. Surrounded by wailing souls on the boat passage to the underworld, Ibarbourou defiantly refuses to lament her fate, acting as cheerfully as a sparrow. Although Ibarbourou does not escape her fate, she wins a moral victory against the forces of death. Like most poets, Ibarbourou nursed an intense fear of death. Though it is easy to surmise this from her poetry, she states so explicitly in the first line of "Carne Inmortal."

In Melo, capital city of Cerro Largo Department, there are two museums that display her life: • Juana de Ibarbourou's birthplace • Regional History Museum

Juana de Ibarbourou was recorded at birth as Juana Fernández Morales. She also worked under the names Juana de América, Jeannette d’Ivar and Jeannette d’Ibar. The authorities additionally record the headings Juana Fernández Morales de Ibarbourou and Juana de América. Her recorded language was Spanish.

Juana de Ibarbourou is recorded with the occupation writer. Recorded as writer and poet.