This bold novel unravels the mystery and complexity of the woman
Carlos Fuentes calls "the first great Latin American poet." Sor
Juana In??'s de la Cruz (1648-1695), poet, playwright, rhetorician,
and musician, is often equated with Sappho, the lesbian poet whom
Plato baptized the "Tenth Muse."
The Mexican nun has fascinated readers around the world for
centuries as scholars have attempted to understand her brilliance,
her feminism, the affairs of her heart, her decision to enter a
convent at the beginning of her luminous intellectual career.
Juana Ram???rez de Asbaje, an illegitimate "criolla," is sixteen
when word of her self-taught erudition travels to the palace in
Mexico City and she becomes an attendant to Do???a Leonor Carreto,
Marquesa de Mancera. Wanting only to study, confused by her love
for la Marquesa, and loathe to marry, in five years Juana becomes
Sor Juana In??'s de la Cruz in the Convent of Santa Paula of the
Order of San Jer???nimo. There, her quill becomes her salvation and
damnation as her notoriety mounts with each new artistic
commission. Popular with court and clergy, she receives a stream of
guests at the convent, among them la Condesa de Paredes, who
becomes Sor Juana??'s intimate friend. More than two decades later,
after brilliantly defending her right to think, teach, and write,
Sor Juana appears before the Inquisition and abruptly withdraws
from the spotlight.
Mixing fiction with Sor Juana??'s own words, and drawing on the
most recent Sor Juana scholarship, Alicia Gaspar de Alba creates
the most full-bodied portrait of Mexico??'s Tenth Muse to date.
This remarkable novel about a remarkable woman will enlighten a new
generation of readers, and stokethe interest of devotees who
already are captivated by the inspiring Sor Juana In??'s de la
Cruz.
"An adventuresome exploration into the lyrical and historical
vision of an extraordinary woman, written by an extraordinary
novelist who has given us a new possibility to dream and invent Sor
Juana In??'s all over again."--Marjorie Agos???n, Wellesley
College
"Beautifully written, without doubt the best book I have read
this year. A masterpiece."--Greg Sarris, author of "Watermelon
Nights"
General
Imprint: |
University of New Mexico Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
October 2007 |
First published: |
October 2007 |
Authors: |
Alicia Gaspar De Alba
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 28mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
480 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8263-2092-6 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General
Promotions
|
LSN: |
0-8263-2092-9 |
Barcode: |
9780826320926 |
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