Juvencio Valle, also known by the pseudonym Gilberto Concha Riffo (November 6, 1900 – February 12, 1999), was a noted Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

. He is a recipient of the Premio Nacional de Literatura de Chile, a National Prize awarded to poets of high achievement.

Biography

Valle was born in Villa Almagro, Nueva Imperial

Nueva Imperial

Nueva Imperial is a city and commune in the south of Chile. It is located in Cautín Province in the Araucanía Region. Nueva Imperial lies about to the west of Temuco, the regional capital.-Geography:...

 in 1900. He studied at a primary school in his native town but at the age of 11 , his family moved to Temuco

Temuco

Temuco is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The name comes from the Mapudungun language, meaning "temu water"; "temu" is a tree used by Mapuches for medicinal purposes. The city is located 670 km south of Santiago...

 where he studied at a grammar school, also attended by Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....

. In 1918, he traveled for the first time to the Chilean capital of Santiago

Santiago, Chile

Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

, where he remained for two years; and he began to develop an ability for writing poetry. In 1932, his time spent in Santiago was reflected in his work. In 1938, he traveled to Spain, and became active in Ercilla magazine. He later returned to Chile and in 1941 and won a contest of the Municipality of Santiago, with his book Nimbo de piedra, dedicated to the four hundred years of the city.

Valle later traveled to Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

, the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, and other countries of eastern Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and to Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. In 1966, he received the National Prize of Literature (Premio Nacional de Literatura de Chile).

He died on February 12, 1999, aged 98.

Works

• La flauta del hombre pan. 1929.
• El tratado del bosque. 1932.
• Nimbo de piedra. 1941.
• El hijo del guardabosque. 1951.
• Del monte en la ladera. 1960.