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 multifaceted personality—a poet, educator, journalist, and radio actress. She acquired her education at 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.
Dora Gómez Bueno de Acuña left an indelible mark on Paraguayan radio, participating as an actress in children’s programs and as a reciter of 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 her role as a poet that earned her renown and esteemed prestige. 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 notable work, “Flor de caña” (1940), shocked the Paraguayan intellectual milieu, addressing love with unabashed freedom. Dora Acuña, in the words of Walter Wey, 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 Dora Gómez Bueno 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 an anthology (1985).
Dora Gómez Bueno de Acuña passed away in Asunción on March 20, 1987. Initially, confusion arose regarding the place of her death due to her wake at the Church of La Encarnación in Asunción. Her remains were interred at the Authors of Paraguayan Association (APA) mausoleum in the Recoleta Cemetery. Later, with 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.