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Jorge Edwards

1931 – 2023

Chilean writer, literary critic, journalist and diplomat

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About Jorge Edwards

Lived 1931 – 2023 (aged 91). Jorge Edwards was a Chilean and Spanish journalist, diplomat, literary critic, writer, short story writer and novelist.

Jorge Edwards Valdés (29 July 1931 – 17 March 2023) was a Chilean novelist, journalist and diplomat. He was the Chilean ambassador to France during the first Sebastián Piñera presidency.

Life and career Edwards attended law school at the Universidad de Chile.

During the presidency of Salvador Allende, Edwards reopened the Chilean embassy in Havana, Cuba, but only three months later, he decided to leave the island. From this episode he wrote what is perhaps his most famous work, Persona non grata (1971), which made him world famous, in which he criticized the Cuban government.

In June 1994, Edwards accepted the post of Ambassador for Chile before the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which has its headquarters in Paris, a city where Edwards resided for many years. Edwards lived in Santiago de Chile.

In 2008, his novel La Casa de Dostoievsky won the prestigious Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa, one of the richest literary prizes in the world, worth $200,000.

In 2010, Edwards was granted Spanish citizenship by King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Awards and honors 1979 He entered the Academia Chilena de la Lengua 1994 Chilean National Prize for Literature 1999 Cervantes Prize 2000 Gabriela Mistral Order of Educational and Cultural Merit 2008 Premio Iberoamericano Planeta-Casa de América de Narrativa 2016 Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Chile - Faculty of Law, Princeton University, Colegio San Ignacio
Positions held
Ambassador of Chile to France
Awards
Miguel de Cervantes Prize; National Prize for Literature (Chile); Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise; Officer of Arts and Letters; Guggenheim Fellowship; Honorary doctor of the University of Rennes 2

People in Jorge Edwards's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Jorge Edwards's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Jorge Edwards?

Chilean writer, literary critic, journalist and diplomat

When was Jorge Edwards born?

Jorge Edwards was born on 29 June 1931 in Santiago.

When did Jorge Edwards die?

Jorge Edwards died on 17 March 2023 in Madrid.

What was Jorge Edwards's occupation?

Jorge Edwards was a journalist, diplomat, literary critic, writer, short story writer and novelist.

What nationality was Jorge Edwards?

Jorge Edwards was Chilean and Spanish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Jorge Edwards

· Wikidata: Q171672

· DBpedia: Jorge Edwards

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jorge Edwards. https://biography.guide/jorge-edwards/

MLA: "Jorge Edwards." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jorge-edwards/.

Chicago: "Jorge Edwards." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jorge-edwards/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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