This is a list of Peruvian literary figures, including poets, novelists, children's writers, essayists, and scholars.

• Martín Adán (1908–1985), poet
• Ciro Alegría (1909–1967), indigenist novelist
• Marie Arana (born 1949), Peruvian-American novelist, biographer, journalist
• José María Arguedas (1911–1969), indigenist novelist and poet
• Federico Barreto (1862–1929), poet
• Michael Bentine (1922–1996), Anglo-Peruvian comedian
• Alfredo Bryce Echenique (born 1939), novelist
• Guillermo Carnero Hoke (1917–1985), writer and journalist
• Carlos Castaneda (1925–1998), literary anthropologist
• Gamaliel Churata (1897–1957), socialist essayist and journalist
• José María Eguren (1874–1942), poet
• Jorge Eduardo Eielson (1924–2006), poet
• Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (c. 1539–1616), the first mestizo chronicler
• Manuel González Prada (1844–1918), modernista poet
• Eduardo González Viaña (born 1941), short story writer and novelist
• Javier Heraud (1942–1963), poet and guerrillero
• Rodolfo Hinostroza (born 1941), influential poet, writer, novelist and essayist
• Luis Jochamowitz (born 1953), journalist and biographer
• José Carlos Mariátegui (1894–1930), socialist essayist and journalist
• Jose Luis Mejia (born 1969), poet, novelist
• Gloria Macher Peruvian Canadian writer
• María Emma Mannarelli (born 1954), feminist writer, historian, professor
• Clorinda Matto de Turner (1853–1909), novelist
• Scarlett O'Phelan Godoy (born 1951), historian
• Angélica Palma (1878–1935), writer, journalist and biographer
• Clemente Palma (1872–1946), writer of fantastic and horror fiction
• Ricardo Palma (1833–1919), writer
• Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, indigenous chronicler
• Santiago Roncagliolo (born 1975), writer, scriptwriter, translator and journalist
• Julio Ramón Ribeyro (1929–1994), short story writer
• Isabel Sabogal (born 1958), novelist, poet and translator
• Sebastián Salazar Bondy (1924–1964), essayist and poet
• Claudia Salazar Jiménez (born 1976) writer, editor and academic
• José Santos Chocano (1875–1934), poet
• Manuel Scorza (1928–1983), novelist and poet
• Carlos Thorne Boas (born 1923), novelist, writer and lawyer
• Álvaro Torres-Calderón (born 1975), poet
• Abraham Valdelomar (1888–1919)
• Blanca Varela (1926–2009), poet
• Mario Vargas Llosa (born 1936), novelist of the Latin American Boom
• Virginia Vargas (born 1945), sociologist
• Cesar Vallejo (1892–1938), influential poet, writer, journalist
• José Watanabe (1946–2007), poet
• Carlos Yushimito (born 1977), writer
• Gunter Silva Passuni (born 1977), writer
• Renato Cisneros (born 1976)
• Daniel Alarcón (born 1977), novelist
• Mario Bellatin (born 1960)
• Santiago Roncagliolo (born 1975), novelist
• Jaime Bayly (born 1965), novelist
• Iván Thays (born 1968), writer
• Esteban Pavletich Trujillo (1906–1981), poet, novelist, essayist