Alberto Blest Gana and Clotario Blest. Literary and Political Legacy of an Irishman in Chile

A panorama of Chilean history is framed by three generations of the Blest family. The three characters of the saga were pioneers in their respective occupations: the first was the founder of medicine in Chile; the second was the initiator of the Chilean novel and the third was the creator of the Central Única de Trabajadores (CUT), the tenacious defenders of labour wrights in the twentieth century. Father, son and grandson describe their life stories as a sinuous and complex journey, as it generally is when history is observed in detail.Keywords: Alberto Blest Gana; Clotario Blest; the Irish in Chile.A panorama of Chilean history is framed by three generations of the Blest family. The three characters of the saga were pioneers in their respective occupations: the first was the founder of medicine in Chile; the second was the initiator of the Chilean novel and the third was the creator of the Central Única de Trabajadores (CUT), the tenacious defenders of labour wrights in the twentieth century. Father, son and grandson describe their life stories as a sinuous and complex journey, as it generally is when history is observed in detail