Felix Luna, historian, writer, politician and songwriter, has died in Buenos Aires, 5 November. He was 84. Born in Buenos Aires in 1925 to a well-connected family from La Rioja in Argentina’s poor northwest, he studied law, but soon turned to writing. He won his first prize for a short story in 1957, and wrote more than a score of books.

He was acclaimed as an historian, and explained Argentine history to the Argentines, notably in A brief history of the Argentines, but also in the first person account, Soy Roca, of a divisive 19th century politician and general, Julio Roca. In 1967 he founded the history magazine, Todo es Historia, which is still sold on newsstands around the country.

He entered into a fruitful partnership with composer Ariel Rodriguez in the 1960s, and wrote the words to music like the Misa Criolla, a mass using the idioms and language of folklore in the aftermath of the second Vatican Council, and Mujeres Argentinas, sung by Mercedes Sosa. His haunting tribute to the Swiss-born poetess, Alfonsina Storni, Alfonsina y el mar, is one of his most lasting contributions to popular musical culture.

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