Luis Alberto Sánchez papers
Scope and Contents
The Luis Alberto Sánchez papers documents Luis Alberto Sánchez' career as both a prominent literary figure, Peruvian politician, and leader in the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance Party (APRA). The collection is arranged into six series: American Popular Revolutionary Alliance Party (APRA), Correspondence, Manuscripts and Publications, Alfredo González Prada, Collected Materials, and Pennsylvania State University. The American Popular Revolutionary Alliance Party (APRA), Correspondence, Manuscripts and Publications, and Alfredo González Prada series are chiefly arranged at the item level. The collection chiefly consists of Sánchez' correspondence, manuscripts, and publications. This collection also includes clippings, political propaganda, and writings by other Latin American literary figures.
This collection demonstrates the overlapping networks of left-leaning political movements and literary circles in the mid-20th century. It also provides insight into the impact of international events on Latin America, including World War II and the beginnings of the Cold War. The correspondence, political materials, and manuscripts in collection are important towards understanding Peruvian political history, the development and management of APRA, and the relationships maintained between Apristas during periods of exile and political persecution. This collection includes accounts of communism, coups, exile, political violence, and suicide.
The Luis Alberto Sanchez papers includes a substantial amount of correspondence written by APRA founder Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, APRA leaders such as Felipe Cossío del Pomar and Manuel Seoane, and other Apristas. Notably absent from this collection is correspondence between Dr. Sánchez and APRA co-founder and former APRA leader Magda Portal. The correspondence features other Latin American political figures in countries such as Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Panama, including former presidents and political activists such as Jorge Mañach, Gabriel del Mazo, and Juan Natalicio González.
This collection also includes the personal correspondence of Alfredo González Prada, a prominent Peruvian author and diplomat who was friends with Luis Alberto Sánchez.
Dates
- Creation: 1691-1994
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1930-1979
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Photocopies of original materials may be made available for research purposes at the discretion of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library. Photocopies or reproductions of original materials may be subject to fees as outlined by the Pennsylvania State University Libraries reproduction policies. Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Patrons seeking advice on the availability of unpublished materials for publication should consult relevant copyright law and laws of libel.
Biographical / Historical
Luis Alberto Sánchez (October 12, 1900-February 6, 1994) was an author, politician, and leader of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance Party (APRA). He was born in Lima in 1900 and entered the Colegio Sagrados Corazones Recoleta in 1908 and the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in 1917. He joined the Partido Aprista Peruano (PAP) in 1931 and was imprisoned under Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro. Sanchez went into exile in 1932 and through 1960 endured periods of exile and political persecution by Peruvian governments. During this time, he founded the APRA party newspaper La Tribuna, and travelled to teach in many countries, including Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States (including Puerto Rico). In the 1960s, he was elected Senator of the Department of Lima (1963-1969), elected Rector of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos de Lima, served as President of the Senate, and was President of the 52nd Asamblea de la Unión Parlamentaria Internacional. Following the 1968 coup, he was detained by the Juan Velasco Alvarado government. Dr. Sánchez continued his literary and political work throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and was ultimately elected Senator for Lima (1980-1985) and Vice President (1985-1990). He was married to Mercedes Vargas Quintanilla and Rosa Dergán and had six children.
Alfredo González Prada (October 16, 1891-June 27, 1943) was an author, diplomat, and son of writers Adriana de Verneuil de González Prada and Manuel González Prada. Due to his political career, he lived most of his life outside of Perú. He served in the Peruvian Embassy in Washington D.C. and was president of the Peruvian delegation to the League of Nations. He married the American Elizabeth Anne Howe and died by suicide in 1943.
Extent
14 Linear Feet (14 Linear Feet and 9 Microfilm Reels)
9 Microform
Language of Materials
Spanish; Castilian
Abstract
Luis Alberto Sanchez was a prominent Peruvian author and political leader of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance Party (APRA). He joined APRA in 1931 and, he was jailed and exiled for his activism. Ultimately, he became a Peruvian senator, Rector of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, President of the Senate, and Vice President of Peru. He was also an educator and taught throughout Latin America and the United States. This collection of correspondence, manuscripts, and other materials documents his leadership in the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance Party (APRA), relationship with Victor Raul Haya de la Torre, Peruvian political history, mid-20th century Latin American political movements, and relationships with prominent Latin American authors. These papers also include his collection of Alfredo Gonzalez Prada correspondence, another prominent Peruvian diplomat and writer.
Physical Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Penn State University Libraries catalog via the link above. Archival collections may be housed in offsite storage. For materials stored offsite, please allow 2-3 business days for retrieval.
Custodial History
Luis Alberto Sánchez created and accumulated the materials in this collection. These materials survived periods of exile and living internationally. In 1969, Luis Alberto Sánchez sold a portion of his library collection and his papers to Pennsylvania State University. Pennsylvania State University received this initial purchase in three shipments between 1970-1974. Luis Alberto Sánchez sold an additional portion of his library to Pennsylvania State University in 1977 which included the Alfredo González Prada materials. Pennsylvania State University received several smaller accruals of material until Dr. Sánchez' death, including several folders of correspondence from the Peruvian embassy in 1991.
The custodial history of the Alfredo González Prada correspondence is unknown. Luis Alberto Sánchez was a friend of Alfredo González Prada and correspondent with his family. At some point, Luis Alberto Sánchez came into possession of correspondence, manuscripts, and other material owned by Alfredo González Prada. Dr. Sánchez donated some of this collection to the Biblioteca Nacional de Perú and sold the remainder to Pennsylvania State University along with his papers.
Acknowledgment
This record was shared by the Eberly Family Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University as a part of the ArchivesSpace Inclusive Examples project. For more information, reach out to the institution.
Processing Information
It is unknown who packaged and shipped the original shipments of materials to Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Sánchez hired Frida Parnes de Sardón to package and ship the 1977 shipment. Once transferred to Pennsylvania State University, Special Collections staff processed the materials, including curator Don Henderson and librarian Grace Pérez. Don Henderson collaborated with Luis Alberto Sánchez to arrange the correspondence and identify letters written under pseudonyms. At some point, an individual arranged and indexed the Cuaderno de Bitácora articles. Pennsylvania State University microfilmed the majority of the correspondence and Cuaderno de Bitácora articles, however additional correspondence was added to the collection after microfilming. Special Collections staff processed and arranged this collection multiple times and any original order has been lost. At some point Special Collections staff interfiled material collected by Special Collections staff about Luis Alberto Sánchez, the collection, and other Latin American history collections at Pennsylvania State University into the collection.
In 2019, Lexy deGraffenreid reprocessed this collection to facilitate better access and use. She reprocessed the majority of the collection at the item level, but retained the original physical order created by Don Henderson, Grace Pérez, and special collections staff. In consultation with curator Angel Diaz, she retained most of the Pennsylvania State University collected material in the collection, including the original correspondence between Dr. Sánchez and Pennsylvania State University. She removed original agreements, the Cuaderno de Bitácora index, and materials relating to other Latin American collections to the Collection Folder. She also reconstituted the master microfilm reels of collection material into the collection. Lexy deGraffenreid intellectually arranged the collection into six series to facilitate researcher understanding of the collection and to highlight different groupings of material (such as the Alfredo González Prada correspondence). Lexy deGraffenreid arranged and inventoried this collection in Spanish. She did not translate the inventory into English for the English-language finding aid.
Genre / Form
- Title
- Guide to the Luis Alberto Sánchez papers 01764.en
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Finding aid compiled by Lexy deGraffenreid
- Date
- 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in: English, Latin script.
Repository Details
Part of the Allen Doe Research Center Repository