Víctor Jara
Chilean teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter, and political activist
- Lived
- 1932–1973
- Country
- Chile
Updated September 2026
About Víctor Jara
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter, and political activist. A committed Communist, he directed a wide range of theatrical works, from locally produced plays to world classics and experimental drama by writers such as Ann Jellicoe, and became one of the leading figures of the neo-folkloric movement that established the Nueva canción chilena. That movement fueled a resurgence of politically engaged popular music during the presidency of Salvador Allende.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.