Carlos Luis Fallas’s Literature Works Will Be Costa Rica’s First Contribution to the Instituto Cervantes’ Spanish Literary Heritage Collection

The Instituto Cervantes, the leading authority on Spanish literature, maintains a historical archive called the “Caja de las Letras” (Box of Letters). Works by renowned authors such as Alejandra Pizarnik, Mario Benedetti, and Sergio Ramírez are housed there, and now Costa Rica will be included in the collection.

As part of the Fifth Edition of the Centroamérica Cuenta Festival, a section for Carlos Luis Fallas, also known as Calufa, was created in the Caja de las Letras (Box of Letters). The legacy was deposited in box 1179. It consists of a 58-page original of an unfinished novel titled Rojo y Verde (Red and Green). It also includes other documents and the author’s personal archives.

The event was attended by the director of the Instituto Cervantes, Luis García Montero; and the president and director of the Centroamérica Cuenta Festival, Sergio Ramírez and Claudia Neira Bermúdez, respectively. The Costa Rican ambassador to Spain, Adriana Bolaños, was also present as an honorary witness.

The Caja de las Letras (Box of Letters) is a secure space in the basement of the Instituto Cervantes. It is located in the former vault that belonged to the Banco Español del Río de la Plata and the Banco Central. Today it houses the literary, artistic, and scientific legacies of prominent figures in Spanish-speaking culture.

Carlos Luis Fallas entered the Caja de Letras (Box of Letters) alongside Panamanian author Ricardo Miró and Puerto Rican author Luis Rafael Sánchez (MREC).

The Legacy of Carlos Luis Fallas

Carlos Luis Fallas Sibaja was born in Alajuela in 1909 and died in 1966 in San José. He divided his career between writing and political leadership. He was a member of the Communist Party, playing an active role in the 1948 Civil War, and served as a councilor and deputy.

Artistically, Fallas’s work had political overtones and social protest. Examples of his work include:

Mamita Yunai

People and Little People

Marcos Ramírez

My Godmother