SOLEDAD ACOSTA DE SAMPER: BIOGRAPHY, STYLE, WORKS, PHRASES - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Soledad Acosta de Samper (1833-1913), actually called Soledad Acosta Kemble, was a Colombian writer, novelist, and historian whose work was focused on colonial and republican events and highlighting the value of women. Her professional work also extended to journalism and print media publishing.

The literary work of Soledad Acosta de Samper was framed within the traditional trend. The writer used in her texts a cultured, precise and expressive language in accordance with the Spanish of the 19th century. Her writings were of cultural, social, political, religious, moral and historical content.

Portrait of Soledad Acosta de Samper. Source: Rafael Diaz Picon, via Wikimedia Commons

Acosta's literary production consisted of twenty-one novels, four plays, forty-eight short stories, twenty-one history treatises, and forty-three social and literary studies. Some of her most prominent titles were: Novels and Pictures of South American Life, The Pirates in Cartagena and The Woman in Modern Society.

Biography

Birth and family

Soledad Acosta de Samper was born on May 5, 1833 in the city of Bogotá in Colombia. The writer came from a cultured family, of good socioeconomic position and Spanish descent. Her parents were the historian and politician Joaquín Acosta and Carolina Kemble, her mother was of British origin. The author was an only child.

Studies

Soledad lived the first fifteen years of her life between Canada and Paris. There she studied in the most prestigious schools, as her parents cared for her to receive a quality education. Acosta learned about literature, grammar, history, science, and languages. The academic training of the writer was on a par with that of the men.

During her stay abroad, Soledad spent most of the time with her mother, this was because her father frequently traveled to Colombia to do geography and history work. The author returned with her family to her native country in 1848 after the outbreak of the French Revolution.

Back to his native country

Soledad Acosta returned to Colombia in the mid-19th century and settled with her parents in Santa Marta. At that time, her father was elevated to the rank of general, but he could not hold the new position for long because he died of health problems in 1852. This irreparable loss marked the life of the young writer.

Personal life

After the death of her father, Soledad met love in the town of Guaduas in 1853. There she met the writer and journalist José María Samper Agudelo at a celebration.

After two years of relationship, the bride and groom were married on May 5, 1855. The first daughters of the marriage were born between 1856 and 1857, their names were Bertilda and Carolina. The newlyweds left for Europe with their family in 1858. While her husband served as ambassador, Soledad began her journalistic career.

Literary beginnings

Image of Soledad Acosta de Samper when she was young. Source: http://colombiacultura.com/2013/10/07/voces-y-silencios-soledad-acosta-de-samper/, via Wikimedia Commons

Acosta's literary career began in Europe in the mid-19th century. He wrote for the Colombian newspapers La Biblioteca de Señoritas and El Mosaico, both with cultural and literary content. At that time the writer signed her articles with the following pseudonyms: Renato, Andina, Bertilda and Aldebarán.

Between Europe and America

The Samper Acosta family grew up during their stay in Europe. María Josefa was the couple's third daughter, born in London in 1860. Two years later, the couple conceived Blanca Leonor while they were in Paris. Then the family group moved to Lima and created the American Magazine.

Soledad, her husband and daughters returned to Colombia in 1863. The following year the writer brought to light the story "La perla del Valle" in the pages of El Mosaico. Its success increased in 1869 after the publication of Novels and Pictures of South American Life.

Hard times

Although Soledad began to be successful in her professional career, her family life fell apart in 1872 with the death of her daughters Carolina and María Josefa as a result of an epidemic. To the pain over the loss of her daughters was added the arrest of her husband José María for political reasons.

Loneliness and

The writer managed to recover from the adverse circumstances that were presented to her. So in 1878 she created the publication La Mujer, a magazine oriented solely towards women. The main objective of that printed medium was to give the deserved value to women in terms of their rights and their role within Colombian society.

This Acosta magazine was made up of women who were in charge of developing articles with moral, ethical, social, cultural and historical content. The simple and straightforward language in which the magazine was written allowed men to read it and better understand the female gender.

Foray into history

Soledad Acosta remained in charge of the magazine La Mujer until 1881, the year in which it stopped circulating. After that, the writer took up the development of historical themes in her works with the publication of several biographies in 1883, including the Biography of General Joaquín París.

José María Samper Agudelo, husband of the writer. Source: http://bibliotecavilareal.wordpress.com/tesoros-digitales/london/, via Wikimedia Commons

The author's interest in the various literary branches was very broad, which led her to publish a play in 1884.

Back to europe

The writer was widowed on July 22, 1888 when her husband José María Samper died after several months of agony. As a result of the loss, Soledad decided to undertake a trip to Paris in 1892 and represented her country at the ninth International Congress of Americanists held in Spain.

After that, the author released her book Woman in Modern Society in 1895.

Journalistic continuity

After spending time in Europe, Soledad Acosta returned to Colombia and resumed her journalistic work. The intellectual put the publication El Domingo into circulation in 1898 and seven years later she produced her last magazine Lecturas para el Hogar. On the pages of these print media the journalist wrote about fashion, travel, books, religion and cooking.

Last years and death

The last years of Acosta's life were dedicated to writing and journalism. Some of his most current publications were: Catechism of history of Colombia and Historical Library. The writer was in charge of organizing the hundred years of her country's independence in 1910 and in that year her daughter Bertilda died.

Soledad Acosta de Samper died on March 17, 1913 in her native Bogotá at the age of seventy-nine. Her remains were deposited in the Central Cemetery of the Colombian capital.

Style

The literary style of Soledad Acosta de Samper belonged to the traditional trend. The writer used a simple, cultured and precise language in her works, her texts were easy to understand. The author focused her literary work on developing content related to the history and culture of her country.

The Colombian intellectual also turned her attention to women and their role in society. Soledad wrote about culture, morals, travel, religion, literature, books and ethics

Plays

Bogotá, the birthplace of Acosta de Samper. Source: Felipe Restrepo Acosta, via Wikimedia Commons

Brief description of some of his works

Novels and paintings of South American life

It was one of the first literary works of Soledad Acosta de Samper, which was comprised of several stories and three novels. The work was written in simple language, consistent with the Spanish of the time it was published. The book followed the norms of the manners style.

Most of the stories in this work by Acosta were based on women and on historical content. Below are some of the titles that made up this publication:

- “Dolores. Pictures of a woman's life ”.

- “Teresa the Lima. Pages from the life of a Peruvian ”.

- "The heart of women. Psychological tests ”.

- "The Pearl of the Valley".

- "Illusion and reality".

Fragment

A funny village

It was one of the last works of Soledad Acosta, which was based on the customs and traditions of the 19th century society and on the feat of independence. The author incorporated adventure, love and grace into the story through the character Justo, a bell ringer from the town of Guadua.

Fragment of A Dutchwoman in America (1888)

Phrases

- "I have repeated it ad nauseam: the women of the present time have practiced all the professions and they have been seen to shine in all the positions that were previously reserved for men no more".

- "I have decided to write something in my diary every day, so you learn to classify thoughts and collect ideas that one may have had during the day."

- "How nice it would be to have an orderly spirit: it is better to have little imagination, but arranged ideas and in their place, than a multitude of ideas that never come when they are needed and are there when they are not wanted."

- "My diary is like a friend to whom you do not know well at first and to whom you do not dare to open your heart entirely, but as you know yourself more you have more confidence and in the end tells you how much you think".

- "The woman's heart is a magic harp that does not sound harmoniously except when a sympathetic hand strikes it."

- “A woman's heart has the gift of keeping the treasure of her love that makes her happy just by contemplating it in the depths of her soul, even if everyone ignores it; satisfied with caressing a sweet reminiscence that feeds her thoughts and gives value to her life ”.

- "The soul and the heart of a woman are unknown worlds in which the germ of a thousand vague ideas, ideal dreams and delightful visions that surround and live with her is stirred: mysterious and impossible to analyze feelings."

- "Goodbye, my diary, goodbye!… The day finally came when I said goodbye to you after having accompanied me daily for a year and eight months… Only in him will I have the confidence that I had with you."

References

1. Soledad Acosta de Samper. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
2. Tamaro, E. (2019). Soledad Acosta de Samper. (N / a): Biographies and Lives. Recovered from: biografiasyvidas.com.
3. Hincapié, L. (2012). Soledad Acosta de Samper. Colombia: Credencial Magazine. Recovered from: revistacredencial.com.
4. Biography of Soledad Acosta de Samper. (2019). (N / a): The Pensante. Recovered from: Educación.elpensante.com.
5. Soledad Acosta de Samper. (S. f.). Cuba: EcuRed. Recovered from: ecured.com.