Clorinda Matto de Turner's Aves Sin Nido

Clorinda Matto de Turner's novel Aves sin nido was published in July 1889. It's release caused great controversies amongst intellectuals; some praising it for its accurate portrayal of Peruvian life, such as the then-president Andrés Avelino Cáceres who wrote a letter of praise to Matto de Turner saying that her novel had stimulated him to pursue much needed reforms, and others condemning it for its social critique of the national model of Peru and for its anticlerical tone. But no matter whether praising or condemning Matto's most famous novel there is no denying that the novel is based around the idea of the native culture of Peru.

Clorinda Matto de Turner begins by voicing her reasons for writing the novel. In the proemio she cites her desire to show the world what life is really like in Peru, to create a "fotografía que estereotipe los vicios y las virtudes" , to show what happens when authorities are not correctly chosen or monitored and to enforce the idea that the clergy should have the right to marriage, in order to limit the possibility of devastating effects on society as portrayed in her novel.

Each character in the novel is a vehicle for Matto de Turner's ideas about the Peruvian national model and her thoughts on possible changes. The main focus of the novel is on the plight of the native Indians. The story focuses on two main Indian families, yet throughout the novel their plights are generalised by the use of the terms of "the race" and "brothers born in adversity" so that the novel critiques the entire nation and its treatment of the native culture.