María Elena Cruz Vidal

Chilean feminist writer who championed women’s rights and social justice through literature and activism.

María Elena Cruz Vidal (1905–1975) was a prominent Chilean poet, novelist, and social reformer who used her writings to advocate for women’s rights and workers’ rights. A founding member of the Chilean Communist Party, she co-founded the Unión de Mujeres Chilenas (Union of Chilean Women) in 1937 to combat gender discrimination. Her novels like La mujer en el arte (1940) explored themes of female agency and class struggle, while her essays critiqued patriarchal structures. Cruz Vidal also collaborated with the Ministry of Education to promote literacy programs for rural women. Despite her activism, her work remains underappreciated in mainstream Latin American literary histories. Discover more: Wikipedia (Spanish) | National Library of Chile