Early years Alicia Morel was born to a very well-educated family in which she was the eldest of six children. From a very young age she was deeply interested in literature. Her favorite authors were
Oscar Wilde,
Lewis Carroll,
Hans Christian Andersen,
Charles Perrault, the
Brothers Grimm, and
Selma Lagerlöf. It was their work that inspired her to write. Moreover, she felt a great attraction to the outdoors and nature, observing and studying insects, trees, flowers, and the climate when she went out with her siblings to explore the surroundings of their home. Her father is described as a generous, tender, and authoritarian man, who used to play the cello. The family went through numerous changes throughout Alicia's childhood. As the years went on, she learned to play the piano and began to write her first stories and poems. These were based in the
Cajón del Maipo, a place she frequented for its natural beauty. At age 12 she discovered that her vocation was to write. She was encouraged in this by Jorge Zuloaga, a family friend who provided her with books by authors such as
James Joyce,
Katherine Mansfield, and
González Vera. and after this she ventured into various genres such as novels, poetry, '''', Chilean legends, and children's stories. Four years later, Zuloaga invited her to an awards ceremony for the writer
Francisco Coloane, for his most famous work, ''''. During this time she worked as a physician's assistant, as she had a great devotion to curing the sick. She also repaired and bound old books. which was adapted for the theater in 2012. During the 1950s, two of Morel's best-known characters were born in
La Hormiguita Cantora y el Duende Melodía, whose stories "were transmitted from 1954 to 1957 [as] radio-adapted editions for children on and
Radio Cooperativa Vitalicia, [...] adventures which were published in 1956 and 1957." These stories would later be illustrated by her friend, artist . Around this time she also began to visit schools, where she put on puppet shows, presenting more than 15 stories with dozens of characters. Morel was one of the founders of
International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) of Chile, together with writers
Lucía Gevert Parada, Marcela Paz, and
Maité Allamand, among others. She served as vice president of this institution during its early years. She also collaborated on various educational projects, creating a magazine for the ASIMET Compensation Fund and writing for the biannual magazine
El Volantín. ==Awards and recognition==