Maria Elena Walsh | Argentine writer, 80

Maria Elena Walsh, 80, an Argentine writer, poet, and singer who entertained generations of children with whimsical songs and books, and also was a voice against the country's former military dictatorship, died Monday of heart failure.

Ms. Walsh had been suffering from several chronic diseases before she died at a clinic in the capital, said Ricardo Pereira, spokesman for the Argentine Society of Writers and Composers.

The adventurous little turtle Manuelita and the goofy monkey Mono Liso were among the best-known of Ms. Walsh's characters. Her songs, celebrated by folksinger Mercedes Sosa and Spanish crooner Joan Manuel Serrat, traveled across the Spanish-speaking world, inspiring children to sing along.

Ms. Walsh published her first poem when she was 15, and soon traveled to the United States and Europe, writing and performing. She returned to Argentina in 1970 as a famous personality, and she was one of the few to openly challenge the 1976-83 military dictatorship, with songs such as "Oracion a la Justicia" (Prayer for Justice) and "Venceremos," a Spanish version of the U.S. civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome."

In 1979, she wrote an open letter, published in the newspaper Clarin, that directly criticized the military regime's censorship, comparing Argentina to a preschool of cowering children with broken pencils. She wrote more than 40 books, including works for adults, TV scripts, and plays. - AP