Lars, Claudia (1899–1974)

Salvadoran writer. Name variations: Carmen Brannon. Born Margarita del Carmen Brannon Vega on Dec 20, 1899, in San Silvestre Guaymoco (now Armenia), El Salvador; died July 22, 1974, in El Salvador; dau. of Peter Patrick "Don Patricio" Brannon (engineer and theosophist) and Manuela Vega Zelayandía; m. LeRoy Beers, 1923 (div. 1949); m. Salvador Samayoa Chinchilla (Guatemalan writer), 1949; children: 1 son.

A leading voice in 20th-century Salvadoran literature, wrote mostly lyrical, intimate poetry but also some works of political protest; 1st published poems in Repertorio Americano (American Repertoire, 1919) with help of Nicaraguan poet Salomón de Selva; lived in New York and later moved to Costa Rica with 1st husband and young son; published 1st book of poetry Estrellas en el pozo (Stars in the Well, 1934); became emotionally involved with priest José Basileo Acuña and wrote romantic poems to him; left husband and moved to El Salvador, US, then Mexico, in search of economic independence; maintained close ties to many Salvadoran intellectuals and artists and dedicated 2nd volume of poetry Canción redonda (Round Song, 1937) to painter Salarrué; collaborated with cultural institutions established under government of moderate colonel Oscar Osorio and served as editor of literary journal Cultura (Culture) under auspices of Salvadoran Ministry of Education; mentored many emerging Salvadoran writers; published memoir of youth in rural El Salvador, Memorias de infancia (Memoirs of Childhood, 1959); also wrote La casa de vidrio (The Glass House, 1942), Ciudad bajo mi voz (City Beneath My Voice, 1947), Fábula de una verdad (Fable of a Truth, 1959), Sobre el ángel y el hombre (Of the Angel and Man, 1963) and Nuestro pulsante mundo (Our Pulsing World, 1969), among others.