E-Book Overview
The astonishing talent of Argentine women writers belies the struggles they have faced--not merely as overlooked authors, but as women of conviction facing oppression. The patriarchal pressures of the Per?n years, the terror of the Dirty Wars, and, more recently, the economic collapse that gripped the nation in 2001 created such repressive conditions that some writers, such as Luisa Valenzuela, left the country for long periods. Not surprisingly, power has become an inescapable theme in Argentine women's fiction, and this collection shows how the dynamics of power capture not only the political world but also the personal one. Whether their characters are politicians and peasants, torturers and victims, parents and children, or lovers male and female, each writer explores the effects of power as it is exercised by or against women. The fifteen writers chosen for Women and Power in Argentine Literature include famous names such as Valenzuela, as well as authors anthologized for the first time, most notably Mar?a Kodama, widow of Jorge Luis Borges. Each chapter begins with a "verbal portrait," editor Gwendolyn D?az's personal impression of the author at ease, formed through hours of conversation and interviews. A biographical essay and critical commentary follow, with emphasis on the work included in this anthology. D?az's interviews, translated from Spanish, and finally the stories themselves--only three of which have been previously published in English--complete the chapters. The extraordinary depth of these chapters reflects the nuanced, often controversial portrayals of power observed by Argentine women writers. Inspiring as well as insightful, Women and Power in Argentine Literature is ultimately about women who, in D?az's words, "choose to speak their truth regardless of the consequences."
E-Book Content
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WOMEN AND POWER IN ARGENTINE LITERATURE
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Texas Pan American Literature in Translation Series danny j. anderson, Editor
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Women and Power in Argentine Literature STORIES, INTERVIEWS, AND CRITICAL ESSAYS
Gwendolyn Díaz
University of Texas Press
Austin
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Copyright © 2007 by the University of Texas Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First edition, 2007 Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to: Permissions University of Texas Press P.O. Box 7819 Austin, TX 78713-7819 www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html ∞ The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso z39.48–1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Díaz, Gwendolyn Josie. Women and power in Argentine literature : stories, interviews, and critical essays / Gwendolyn Díaz. — 1st ed. p. cm.—(Texas Pan American literature in translation series) Includes bibliographical references. isbn-13: 978-0-292-71648-3 (cloth : alk. paper) isbn-10: 0-292-71648-6 (cloth : alk. paper isbn-13: 978-0-292-71649-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) isbn-10: 0-292-71649-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Argentine literature—Women authors—History and criticism. 2. Argentine literature—Women authors. 3. Women authors, Argentine—20th century—Interviews. 4. Authors, Argentine—20th century—Interviews. 5. Women and literature—Argentina. I. Title. pq7633.d53 2007 860.9'9287'0982—dc22 2006023555
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This book about women and power is dedicated to my daughter,
julia gwen ridgeway, who has been my inspiration.
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