Chile. The grandson of Andrés Bello and the son of a well-off family, he received a privileged education both in his hometown and in Paris and other European countries where he lived in his youth.
He was a journalist and contributor to the newspaper La Nación, while also dedicating himself to writing short stories, novels, essays, chronicles, and opinion pieces. Throughout his work, there is an intention to critically reflect on the politics and society of his time, using irony, psychological observation, and deliberation. His bibliography ranges from newspaper chronicles to Dadaist poetry collections, including novels with clear naturalist and realist influences.
He was one of the most prolific writers in the Chilean literary field of the 20th century. Among his works are El inútil (1910), El monstruo (1912), El roto (1920), El chileno en Madrid (1928), Criollos en París (1933), La chica del Crillón (1935), Crónicas de Joaquín Edwards Bello (1924), Crónicas chilenas (1925), and El bombardeo de Valparaíso y su época (1934).
He was a member of the Academy of the Spanish Language since 1954 and winner of the National Literature Prize (1943) and the National Journalism Prize (1959).