Rodolfo Milla publishes new biography of poet Carlos Oquendo de Amat

Writer and journalist Rodolfo Milla has published ‘El hijo del Titicaca’, a new popular biography of the Peruvian avant-garde poet Carlos Oquendo de Amat. The 168-page edition is released under the Lluvia Editores imprint and the Provincial Municipality of Puno.

The biography aims to provide an accessible version of the poet's life for non-specialized readers. Oquendo de Amat, born in 1905 in Puno, is best known for his work ‘Cinco metros de poemas’, which was famously rediscovered by Mario Vargas Llosa.

A significant finding in the work involves a baptismal record from La Paz, Bolivia, dated April 10, 1768. The document refers to Antonio Oquendo, a 16-year-old slave from Guinea who was adopted by landowner Francisco Oquendo. This discovery challenges previous biographical accounts that attributed the poet's lineage to Basque origins, suggesting instead that the Oquendo surname was acquired through adoption.