Magda Arce Fernández: Teacher, Writer and Guardian of Literary History

Magda Arce Fernández (1910-1997) was born in Santiago but pursued her early education in Copiapó and Antofagasta due to her father's work as a teacher in northern Chile. She later returned to the capital to complete her secondary studies and went on to earn a degree as a State Teacher from Universidad de Chile, laying the foundation for a distinguished academic career.

Her scholarly pursuits took her abroad, supported by various prestigious scholarships. In 1936–1937, she studied at the University of California, Berkeley, followed by a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship in 1939, which allowed her to specialize in Library Science and Hispanic-American Bibliography at Columbia University's School of Library Science—the first of its kind in the United States, which operated from 1887 to 1992.

Arce's time at Columbia extended further when she won a Latin American scholarship through a nationwide competition, allowing her to study under Professor Federico de Onís, a renowned scholar and the founder of Columbia’s Casa Hispánica (now the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures). Under his guidance, she completed an M.A. and later earned a Ph.D. in 1949, with a dissertation titled Mariano Latorre, Contemporary Chilean Writer.

Her teaching career began in 1938 as a Spanish instructor at Barnard College, Columbia’s undergraduate college for women. She later worked as a translator at Columbia’s School of Journalism. Throughout the 1940s, she held various academic positions both in Chile and abroad. In 1943, she was officially commissioned by Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote Chilean culture in the United States, where she taught Spanish language and literature at multiple universities.

Arce’s international contributions continued in the 1950s when she served as Secretary of Chile’s Delegation to the VII General Assembly of the United Nations (1952–1953) and worked as a translator for various international organizations.

The Rediscovery of Gabriela Mistral’s Lost Archives

One of Arce’s most significant contributions to Chilean literature came in 1965, when she uncovered a valuable collection of Gabriela Mistral’s personal documents in Santa Barbara, California. Mistral, who had lived there for three years while serving as Chile’s consul, had left behind several trunks labeled "To be shipped to Chile."

When Arce visited the house was stunned to find letters, manuscripts, official documents, and personal belongings—including notebooks, books, and clothing from Mistral’s adoptive son, Yin-Yin, who had tragically died by suicide in 1943.

Determined to bring this archive to Chile, Arce spent the summer classifying and studying the materials. However, bureaucratic obstacles prevented her from recovering the entire collection. Despite these challenges, she managed to salvage a portion of the documents and bring them home.

Her dedication to preserving Mistral’s literary legacy culminated in the publication of two books: Gabriela Mistral y Joaquín García Monge: una correspondencia inédita (1989), a compilation of letters between Mistral and her longtime friend, Costa Rican writer Joaquín García Monge and Legado Literario de Gabriela Mistral (1993), further documenting Mistral’s intellectual contributions.

Through her academic and literary work, Magda Arce Fernández played an important role in bridging Chilean and American scholarship, expanding the reach of Hispanic literature, and preserving the legacy of one of Chile’s most celebrated poets.

An Enigmatic Legacy

Despite her academic record and decades long work, details about Magda Arce remain elusive, as Chilean bibliography offers scant information beyond her contributions related to the discovery of Gabriela Mistral’s archives and the subsequent publications. Much of what is recorded in national archives and news clippings focuses solely on these milestones, leaving many aspects of her life and career as an enigma.

Through her academic and literary contributions, Magda Arce not only bridged Chilean and American scholarship but also preserved a vital chapter of Hispanic literary heritage. Her legacy endures as a testament to pioneering research, cultural exchange, and the enduring power of education.