Mercedes Valdivieso (born Isabel Mercedes Ignacia Valenzuela Álvarez; March 1, 1924 – August 3, 1993) was a Chilean writer. She was born in Santiago, Chile, and is best known for her early works, which challenged traditional ideas. In 1961, she wrote La Brecha (Breakthrough), a novel considered an important feminist work in Latin America. This book upset some people who opposed change but received praise from critics. It showed a woman realizing she could live a full life without depending on a man. The book became very popular, with five editions published in a row. Valdivieso was brave in her writing and helped connect romantic and domestic stories in a society where women were often seen as symbols of goodness and expected to rely on men. She founded and directed Adan, a men’s magazine, and Breakthrough, a feminist publication. She wrote articles for newspapers and magazines, gave lectures, and taught literature at several universities, including the University of Peking, the University of Houston, Stephen F. Austin State University, and the University of St. Thomas in Houston. She was also a Professor Emeritus at Rice University.

Books

• La Brecha, a novel published by Zig Zag Publishing Company in Santiago de Chile in 1961. It has 5 editions and contains 160 pages.
• Babel, a story from the collection Antologia del Cuento Realista Chileno, written by moretic y Orellana and published by Austral in Santiago de Chile in 1962.
• La Tierra que les Dí, a novel published by Zig Zag in Santiago de Chile in 1963. It has 2 editions and was translated into the Polish language by Dziesiec Palcow, Czytelnik in 1968.
• Los Ojos de Bambú, a novel published by Zig Zag in Santiago de Chile in 1964. It contains 250 pages.
• Las Noches y un Dia, a novel published by Seix Barral in Barcelona in 1971. It contains 257 pages.
• Breakthrough, translated by Graciela S. Daichman in 1988.
• Maldita yo entre las Mujeres, a historical novel published by Planeta in Santiago de Chile in 1991.

Selected articles

• "Ruptura y Tradicion," an interview with Octavio Paz, published in Ercilla, Santiago de Chile, January 1970.
• "Del Tlatoani al Caudillo," a detailed version of an interview with Octavio Paz, published in the Literary Supplement of Siempre, Mexico, April 1970.
• "Two Literary Approaches to the Problem of Existence: El Extranjero by A. Camus and El Tunel by E. Sabato," published in a Spanish-Brazilian publication by the University of Houston, 1970.
• "Gabriela Mistral: Fundadora de una Tradicion," published in the Literary Supplement of El Sol de Mexico, Mexico, January 1976.
• "World Hope in Sisterhood," published in the newspaper Breakthrough, Houston, January 1976.
• "La Octava Cara del Dado," published in the Literary Supplement of El Sol de Mexico, Mexico, January 1976.
• "Imagenes de una era Contradictoria," published in the Literary Supplement of El Sol de Mexico, Mexico, March 1976.
• "Congreso Interamericano de Mujeres Escritoras," published in El Sol de Mexico, Newspaper, Mexico, May 1976.