Marcela Paz

Marcela Paz (February 28, 1902 – June 12, 1985) was the pen name of Esther Huneeus Salas de Claro, a Chilean writer. She also used the pen names of Paula de la Sierra, Lukim Retse, P. Neka and Juanita Godoy.

In 1947 Paz published the first book with her most famous character, Papelucho. Papelucho became a companion and an inspiration to generations of children and perhaps one of Chile's most well known humanized characters of the twentieth century. Between 1964 and 1967, she directed the Asociación Internacional del Libro Juvenil, the Chilean chapter of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).

In 1968 she received a Hans Christian Andersen honour diploma. In 1979 she received the gold medal from the Instituto Cultural de Providencia. In 1982, she was awarded with the Premio Nacional de Literatura de Chile.

Legacy

On February 29(!), 2012, Google Chile honored Marcela Paz with a special Birthday Doodle, remarking "110º aniversario del nacimiento de Marcela Paz, fecha entregada por la familia de Marcela Paz" (Marcela Paz's 110th birthday, date given by Marcela Paz's family). Note: The year of 1902 was not a leap year. Therefore the date of February 29, 1902, did not exist.