Jorge Baradit

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Jorge Marcos Baradit Morales (born 11 June 1969 in Valparaíso, Chile) is a Chilean writer, podcaster and politician. He wrote the bestselling Historia secreta de Chile trilogy and served in Chile’s Constitutional Convention from July 2021 to July 2022, representing the 10th District.

Early life
Baradit grew up in Valparaíso and formed a punk rock band, Trato Bestial, which played in underground shows from 1986 to 1991. He came from a lower-middle-class family and attended public schools. He studied Architecture for a year at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (1987–1988) and Graphic Design at Viña del Mar University (1988–1994), later turning to literature in 2005.

Literary career
He debuted with Ygdrasil (2007), a story set in a futuristic world, followed by a short prequel Trinidad (2008) that won an award from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He ran the Ucronía Chile blog (2006–2008), which led to CHIL3: Relación del Reyno (2010), a collection of Chilean alternate-history writing. He published Synco (2008), an alternate-history novel about a socialist state after 1973, and Kalfukura the following year, a more adventure-leaning tale for young readers to revive Chilean myths.

In 2011 he released the graphic novel Policía del karma with artist Martín Cáceres, which won several awards. Lluscuma appeared in 2012–2013 as a fantasy graphic novel blending time travel and alternate history. His first short-story collection, La guerra interior, came out in 2017. Baradit is associated with Chile’s Freak Power literary movement, known for using digital tools and collaborating with readers and other artists.

Historia secreta de Chile
Published starting in July 2015, the first volume of Historia secreta de Chile became a bestseller, with tens of thousands of copies sold quickly and more than 200,000 copies of the first two volumes by 2017. The trilogy sparked debate among historians about its documentation. The books’ provocative covers and controversial approach drew both praise and criticism.

Media and public life
From 2015 to 2016, Baradit appeared on the TV program Mentiras verdaderas. In 2017 he created Chile Secreto, a documentary-style series on Chilevisión that explored hidden aspects of Chilean history and drew high ratings.

Activism
Baradit is active in social causes and has supported civil rights movements, gender equality and abortion-rights campaigns.