In this space, we pay homage to the women writers throughout the centuries, who have inspired throughout their lives and works, have shaped literature and given form to new visions of the world.
Each month of the year is dedicated to a woman writer born on the first day of that month, symbolically elected as a guide and inspiration for the following weeks.
Through a brief biography and reading suggestions chosen to delve deeper into the work of the writer of the month, the themes dear to her or the historical and cultural context in which she lived, we invite you to discover the female literary heritage and each month to listen to a different but equally powerful voice.
The month of November is dedicated to the Spanish writer and playwright Rosario de Acuña y Villanueva
1st November 1850 – 5th May 1923
On November 1st, Rosario de Acuña y Villanueva, a Spanish writer, journalist and playwright was born in Madrid. She was considered a pioneer of her time in the field of rights for the vulnerable and the social equality of women and men. Her theatrical production made her a polemical figure in the second half of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. Her first play was Rienzi el tribuno, a protest against tyranny; later she wrote Amor a la patria and Tribunales de venganza. She collaborated with the newspapers El Imparcial, El Liberal, and the Spanish magazines Revista Contemporánea and Revista de España. Her most famous and scandalous play was El padre Juan (The Father John), in which she accused the Catholic Church of manipulating consciences. In addition to plays, she wrote poems, educational books, essays and fiction that were very successful such as: Morirse a tiempo (To Die on Time), Sentir y Pensar (Feeling and Thought), La herencia de las Fieras, Influencia de la vida del campo en la familia, El lujo de los pueblos rurales, Avicultura. Collection of articles, The crime of Fuencarral street and My things.
Recommended readings of the month:
– The routledge research companion of early modern Spanish women writers by Nieves Baranda.
– Spanish American Women Writers by Diane E. Marting
– Women Writers of Early Modern Spain: Sophia’s Daughters by Barbara Mujica.