Augusto Céspedes Patzi

Augusto Céspedes Patzi (6 February 1904, Cochabamba – 9 May 1997, La Paz) was a Bolivian writer, politician, diplomat, and journalist. He was the brother-in-law of writer Carlos Montenegro.

Céspedes studied law and received his degree in La Paz.

In 1927, he founded the Nationalist Party. He was a leader in the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR).

He worked as a journalist on the front in the Chaco War, writing for the newspaper El Universal. His reports were compiled and published in the book Crónicas heroicas de una guerra estúpida, published in 1975. He also founded the MNR daily La Calle and directed La Nación newspaper in La Paz.

He was a noted politician, serving as a deputy in Bolivian legislatures (three times: 1938, 1944, and 1956), and in diplomatic offices. He served as Bolivia's Ambassador to Paraguay in 1945, and to Italy in 1953, and distinguished himself as Ambassador to UNESCO.

Céspedes wrote various biographies of presidents such as Daniel Salamanca, Germán Busch Becerra, and Gualberto Villarroel. He also wrote stories and novels:

• 1936: Sangre de Mestizos
• 1946: Metal del diablo
• 1956: El dictador suicida
• 1966: El presidente colgado
• 1968: Trópico enamorado
• 1975: Crónicas heroicas de una guerra estúpida

• 1957: National Literature Prize