Violeta Parra

Book excerpt: Violeta Parra: By The Whim of the Wind is a biography about Chile's legendary musician and artist who championed her nation's rustic customs, songs and dances against a current of modernization. She left a legacy of topical songs and new respect for the dignity of humble roots. As a visual artist, Violeta Parra was the first Latin American to merit a solo exhibit in the Louvre. A woman of great passion, she paid for her choices tragically. Violeta Parra's story captivated Karen Kerschen when she was caught in the Chilean coup d'etat, September 11, 1973, and forced to flee. A New Yorker by birth, Kerschen's lifelong interest in the threads of folkloric culture date back to childhood stories of her family's emigration from Eastern Europe. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in NYC and worked in both humanities and technology. Kerschen now lives with her husband in rural northern New Mexico.