Born: 1903, Paraguay
Died: 20 March 1987
Country most active: Paraguay
Also known as: Dora Gómez Bueno de Acuña
Dora Gómez Bueno de Acuña was a poet, educator, journalist, and radio actress. She attended the Escuela Normal de Asunción, graduating as a teacher. In her early career, she taught primary education for many years and briefly contributed to the “Sociales” section of the newspaper El Orden in Asunción from 1930 to 1931.
De Acuña left an indelible mark on Paraguayan radio, acting in children’s programs and reciting both native and foreign poems. One of her notable contributions was the series “Sobremesa de Gala,” broadcast on Radio Nacional del Paraguay and Radio Ñandutí, both prominent radio stations in the capital.
However, it is as a poet that she became best known. Recognized as the founder of erotic poetry in Paraguay, she stands out as the sole representative characterized in Paraguayan female literature, according to Josefina Plá. Walter Wey, a Brazilian researcher, acknowledged her transformative impact on Paraguayan poetry, introducing eroticism with depth and insistence.
Her work, “Flor de caña” (1940), shocked Paraguayan intellectuals, addressing love with unabashed freedom. In the words of Wey, she expressed a desire to live intensely, with a profound lyrical fullness, infusing her poetry with a love for life and nature. Spanish literary figure Viriato Díaz-Pérez, in his prologue to her first poetry book, hailed de Acuña as a dedicated artist, contributing to the universal and eternal beauty of romanticism.
Her published works include “Flor de caña,” “Barro celeste” (1943), “Luz en el abismo” (1954), “Vivir es decir” (1977), and a 1985 anthology.
Dora Gómez Bueno de Acuña passed away in Asunción on March 20, 1987. Her remains were interred at the Authors of Paraguayan Association (APA) mausoleum in the Recoleta Cemetery. Later, due to the efforts of the Luque Association of Poets and Other Arts (APOAL), inspired by her poetic testament “Ciudad Natal,” her remains were moved to the mausoleum of veterans in Cemetery No. 1 in Luque.