Juana de Ibarbourou was a famous Uruguayan poet born in 1895. She began her career as a feminist writer in 1909 when she published a piece on women's rights. She married in 1913 and had one son. Her poetry dealt with themes of love and nature in a sensual style. Her collection "Tongues of Diamond" was published in 1919. She was deeply affected by the deaths of family members like her husband in 1942 and her own declining health. She died in Uruguay in 1979.

1. Name: ………………………………………..………. Group: Date :
Diagnostic Test 4th course – March 2012
Juana de Ibarbourou, original name Juanita Fernández Morales
(1895 – 1979)
1. Listen about Juana and complete with some of these words:
public famous child son
March June May private
Uruguayan poet, one of the most ___________ Latin American women poets. She was venerated for
her celebration of love and nature. Juana Fernández Morales was born on ____________ 8, 1895, near
Melo. She began studies at the José Pedro Varela school in 1899 and then moved to a religious school and
two __________ schools afterwards.
In 1909, she published a prose piece "Derechos femeninos" (female rights), beginning a lifelong career as
a feminist. She married Captain Lucas Ibarbourou on ____________ 28, 1913, and they had one
____________ named Julio César in 1917. In 1918, Juana moved to Montevideo with her family.
2. Read and find in the second text:
The opposite of last
A tall plant that can live for a long time
The end of life
Family members
3. Read both texts and choose the correct answers:
Juana was an early Latin American feminist. Her feminism is evident in poems such as "La
Higuera," in which she describes a fig tree as more beautiful than the straight and blooming
trees around it, and "Como La Primavera," in which she says that authenticity is more attractive
than any perfume. Ibarbourou's poetry, rich in sensual images and expressed in simple
language, deals with the themes of love and nature. Las lenguas de diamante (1919; “Tongues of
Diamond”) is strikingly sensual and erotic. Like most poets, she had an intense fear of death.
She states so explicitly in the first line of "Carne Inmortal." Lucas died on January 13, 1942. She
was deeply affected by her own illness and the deaths of her parents and husband. She was
elected president of the Society of Uruguayan Writers in 1950. She died on July 15, 1979 in
Uruguay.
1. How old is “Tongues of Diamond”?
a. 19 years old. b. 89 years old. c. 91 years old.
2. Did she like writing poems?
a. Yes, she loved poems. b. No, she wasn’t a poet. c. Yes, she was a feminist.

2. 3. Was she single?
a. yes, she married Lucas. b. No, she married Lucas. c. No, she wasn’t married.
4. Where was she from?
a. She was Uruguayan. b. She was from Melo. c. She was from Montevideo.
5. What happened when she was 55 years old?
a. Her husband died. b. She became the most important women writer in Uruguay
c. She became president of The Republic of Uruguay.
4. Read this information about Juana’s writings, compare them and complete the
sentences: (you can use: old, modern, romantic)
Tongues of Diamond (1919)
Savage Root (1920) 1. Tongues of Diamond is ……………………………………………………… Compass Rose.
Compass Rose (1930)
2. Tongues of Diamond is ………………………………………………………. Lost.
3. Compass Rose is …………………………………………………………………. Savage Root.
Lost (1950)
5. Choose one of these two options. Write about it. (Write about 80 words)
a- Write about a person you admire. Include: name, age, nationality, description (physical
and personality), what he/she likes, what he/she can do, hobbies, daily routine, what he/she is
doing at the moment, why you like this person.
b- A group of Latin American literature students want to visit Uruguay to learn more
about Juana. Write a postcard telling them about: Juana’s birthplace, famous
places, customs, food, sports, etc.