In a conversation that flows with natural ease, Melitta Santos Bazás presents herself to The Asunción Times as someone deeply at home in the world of stories. Paraguayan, born in Asunción, her voice blends warmth and determination, revealing a path that did not begin in literature, yet was always marked by it.
With the recent launch of a new trilingual children’s collection, Voices of Our Land (Voces de Nuestra Tierra), she has developed a narrative and visual universe designed to accompany children on their first journeys of discovery. Her books have been translated into English, French, and Guaraní. She describes the process as both challenging and enriching, as translation expands and transforms the work without losing its essence.
A writer from childhood
Before the eight books published to date, there was a girl who wrote. Melitta Santos entered competitions, imagined worlds, and, at eleven, won one in English. “I have always been a writer,” she says, describing a vocation that feels inevitable rather than chosen.
“Life first took me in another direction: I studied International Trade and worked in the field. But then came a pause: motherhood, in the midst of the 2020 pandemic, which gave me back time and, with it, the chance to return to what I had once left behind. I never saw it as a hobby.”
Determined to professionalise her work, she hired an editor and an illustrator, and studied personal branding. Her first book, initially conceived as a gift for her children, soon attracted interest from other mothers.
“My inspiration is rooted in everyday life: family journeys, Paraguayan landscapes, and the way adults narrate the world to children. A disused railway station can become the setting for an adventure, and owls in the countryside can turn into the protagonists of a tale. For me, imagination does not escape reality, it magnifies it.”
That approach defines her storytelling, where the ordinary becomes meaningful and accessible for young readers.
A deeply personal literary universe
Asked which work best represents her relationship with Paraguay, Melitta chooses The Beauty of a Broken Shell. It was her first book and introduced Fini, a small turtle central to her creative world.
“Fini’s books are like my babies. They were my small therapies at the time. Writing is therapy for the writer, 100% therapy.”
Although written for children, her stories often carry deeper emotional layers. Her career gained momentum with Voices of Our Land, part of the Seeds of the Future (Semillas del Futuro) programme. The collection is promoted by the Office of the First Lady, led by Leticia Ocampos, alongside the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence, and is distributed to early childhood centres.
Bridging generations through stories
For Melitta, it is within that balance between the intimate and the universal that her writing finds strength. While her stories travel, her books retain a distinctly Paraguayan identity.
“What struck me greatly is that Paraguayans who have children or nephews abroad value with much affection the books that speak of our culture.” That effect, she confesses, was not something she sought when writing. “I was rather thinking of us, of our daily life, but it is so lovely that those little pieces of us can also accompany their children.”
New projects and a growing literary scene
Looking ahead, Melitta will participate in the 50th Buenos Aires International Book Fair in May and launch her fourth Fini book on 28 June. “Between that and Mara, a new book we will launch, my brain has collapsed. In July, we shall see what happens,” she says with a laugh.
She also reflects positively on Paraguay’s literary landscape. Her influences include Verónica Abente, whom she calls a pioneer of children’s literature in Paraguay. “She is a huge inspiration, especially in the way she addresses inclusion and difficult themes, the loss of a grandfather, family illness, with such care and depth.” In recent years, Melitta has seen growth in new authors, stronger support from bookshops, and publishers such as Grupo Editorial Atlas offering a creative home.
A personal commitment to storytelling
Between personal projects and daily life, Melitta Santos Bazás shows that her commitment to literature is both professional and deeply personal. Her stories entertain children while strengthening cultural connections, allowing Paraguay to travel across borders through imagination.
