The Workings of Memory ― Life-Writing by Women in Early Twentieth-Century Spain

This book focuses on the life-writing produced by four women writers and intellectuals who were active in the Madrid cultural arena during this period: Carmen Baroja (1883-1950), Maria Martinez Sierra (1874-1974), Maria Teresa Le&3243;n (1903-1988), and Concha Mendez (1898-1986). The study examines ways in which these writers portray their positioning in relation to dominant cultural models of the time and their engagement with political and social issues in a period of changing gender dynamics and political instability. In broader terms, this book examines the complex relationships between memory, writing, and identity, and thus contributes to the growing field of explorations of the workings of memory in narrative.

Sarah Leggott is senior lecturer and the director of the Spanish Programme at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.