Antonio Cornejo Polar (December 23, 1936 – May 18, 1997) was a Peruvian-born academic, teacher, literature and cultural critic, known particularly for his theorization of the concept of "heterogeneity."

Cornejo Polar was born December 23, 1936, in Arequipa, Peru.

He received a PhD from the National University of San Agustin in Arequipa, became a professor there as well, then in 1966 he becomes Professor in National University of San Marcos, Lima.

He was also the founder and editor of the Revista de Critica Literaria Latinoamericana, a journal which covered issues of culture and ideology in Latin-American literature.

Cornejo-Polar was married to Cristina Soto, who worked with him on the journal and also managed "Latinoamericana Editores", a publishing company which covers Latin-American topics.