The country of Venezuela declared its independence from Spain on July 5, 1811. Political leader Simón Bolívar, baseball player Miguel Cabrera and actor Wilmer Valderrama claim heritage to this South American country. Here’s a look at its most prominent writers:
• Rómulo Gallegos (1884-1969), right, was not only a novelist, but the president of Venezuela. His best known novel, Doña Bárbara, depicts a woman who uses her powers of seduction to control her ranch. One of Latin America’s most prestigious literature awards, the Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize, is named after him.
• One of those prize winners was Arturo Uslar Pietri (1906-2001), who used his writings to critique the government. He won the award for his book La visita en el tiempo.
• Book critic Marcela Valdes wrote this terrific article for NPR about Venezuela’s literary history, featuring a list of 10 great Venezuelan novelists.
Sources: NPR, Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia
The Hispanic Reader 
Voy a leerlo más tarde. ¡Buen Día de Independencia, Venezuela! ¡Ándale¡
Shari