Leoncio Bueno Barrantes, Iconic Peruvian Social Poet, Dies at 105

Leoncio Bueno Barrantes, a leading poet, journalist and essayist of Peru’s social‑poetry tradition, died early on Friday 31 July 2024 at the age of 105. Born in Lima in 1920, Bueno worked as an agricultural laborer, construction and textile worker before turning to literature, drawing on anarchist influences to give his poetry a strong critique of social inequality. He was a prominent member of the “Generation of the 50” and a close friend of fellow poet Javier Heraud.

In June 2024 the Peruvian Ministry of Culture awarded him the Order of the Great Masters of Peruvian Culture in recognition of more than eight decades of literary, journalistic and activist work. His death marks the loss of one of the last living figures of a generation that shaped modern Peruvian letters and the ongoing struggle for workers’ rights and human dignity.