Piedad Bonnett

Piedad Bonnett Vélez (Amalfi (Antioquia), 1951) is a Colombian poet, playwright and novelist.

She obtained a degree in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Los Andes where she has been professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities since 1981.

She has published eight poetry books, many of which have been translated to Italian, English, French, Swiss, Greek and Portuguese, four novels, and five theater plays.

Her short stories and essays have been published in both Colombian and international magazines and newspapers, and she has represented Colombia in numerous poetry festivals in Granada (Spain), Córdoba (Spain), Rosario (Argentina) and Medellín (Colombia), and literary festivals, including the Berlin International Literature Festival and Hay Festival in Segovia.

Her poetry, screenwriting and prose are described as having a profound link to her life experiences and vision as a middle class woman in a country torn by violence, inequality and conflict.

Childhood, family life, and an enchantment and disenchantment with different kinds of love are present across her work, including filial, romantic and friendship, which she describes as one of the most beautiful and pure kinds.

In 2013, she published her book “Lo que no tiene nombre,” a personal testimony about the struggles of her son with mental illness.

The book received excellent reviews and she received recognition from Semana, Fundación Liderazgo y Democracia y Telefónica for her leadership in generating consciousness about mental health issues through literature.