Women Writers of Latin America: Intimate Histories (Texas Pan American Series)

What does it take for a woman to succeed as a writer? In these revealing interviews, first published in 1988 as Historias ntimas, ten of Latin America's most important women writers explore this question with scholar Magdalena Garc a Pinto, discussing the personal, social, and political factors that have shaped their writing careers. The authors interviewed are Isabel Allende, Albaluc a Angel, Rosario Ferr , Margo Glantz, Sylvia Molloy, Elvira Orph e, Elena Poniatowska, Marta Traba, Luisa Valenzuela, and Ida Vitale. In intimate dialogues with each author, Garc a Pinto draws out the formative experiences of her youth, tracing the pilgrimage that led each to a distinguished writing career. The writers also reflect on their published writings, discussing the creative process in general and the motivating force behind individual works. They candidly discuss the problems they have faced in writing and the strategies that enabled them to reach their goals. While obviously of interest to readers of Latin American literature, this book has important insights for students of women's literature and cultural studies, as well as for aspiring writers.