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Carmen de Burgos (1867-1932) was one of Madrid's best-known authors during the first third of the century, when the capital was experiencing the accelerated changes associated with the processes of modernity. A prolific writer of a wide variety of works (12 novels, 57 short stories, a long list of translations, manuals of behavior for women and a vast number of newspaper articles), Burgos was also an important public figure whose essays and speeches passionately promoted the cause of increasing civil rights for women in Spanish society. To return to her work today is to familiarize one's self with the popular literature, politics and social concerns of almost a century ago. This edition includes two of Burgos's fictional works from 1931: the full-length novel -Quiero vivir mi vida-, and the short story -Punal de claveles-. Both were published the year before the autor's death, during the most politically radical period of her life. Burgos dedicates the novel to Gregorio Maranon, calling it -an homage to the great doctor Maranon, who in the most competent and noble of ways, has illuminated the study of intersexuality with his piety and science.- Likewise, in the prologue to the novel (included here in this edition), Maranon praises Burgos for her clear understanding of his theories and the incorporation of his concept of intersexuality into the development of the characters. The murder known as the -crime of Nijar- (Almeria, 1928) is the basis for the plot of Burgos's -Punal de claveles- as well as for Lorca's better-known play -Bodas de sangre- (1932). What in the poet Lorca's hands was a poetic tragedy, for Burgos -the feminist- became a story about the need for women to have the opportunity to escape traditional gender roles. Unlike that of -Bodas de sangre-, -Punal de claveles's- happy ending is directed towards a mass (and largely female) audience. This critical edition by Susan Larson includes Maranon's essay -Sobre el sentido de los celos- an introduction which includes a comparison of -Punal de claveles- to Lorca's -Bodas de sangre- as well as notes to help the reader understand Burgos's work in social and cultural context.

While Carmen de Burgos (Almera 1867-Madrid 1932) belonged to the Generation of '98 in terms of her age, she is really too modern and progressive a figure for this categorization. A journalist, author, translator and progressive feminist intellectual, de Burgos was one of the most widely-read writers of her time. When she died she left a body of work impressive both in its quantity and quality: 12 full length and approximately 57 short novels. "La rampa" (1917) is the second full-length novel by Carmen de Burgos, and is dedicated to all of the throngs of wounded and lost women who have come to me asking which path they should take, and who have made me feel their tragedy. The Spanish literary canon would remain incomplete if it did not include this urban novel by Carmen de Burgos, that in a highly original female point of view, captures Madrid in the process of modernization. "La rampa" narrates how modernity brought new possibilities for some middle- and upper-class women, but was ultimately an empty promise for many working-class women living in the city. This critical edition prepared by Susan Larson is accompanied by commentary, an extensive bibliography of works by and about the author, and an introduction that includes biographical information about Carmen de Burgos as well as an urban history of Madrid between 1890 and 1920 meant to frame the work within its urban context.