A schoolteacher whose poetry catapulted her to early fame in her native Chile and an international diplomat whose boundary-defying sexuality still challenges scholars, Gabriela Mistral (1889โ1957) is one of the most important and enigmatic figures in Latin American literature of the last century. TheLocas mujerespoems collected here are among Mistralโs most complex and compelling, exploring facets of the selfin extremisโpoems marked by the wound of blazing catastrophe and its aftermath of mourning.
From disquieting humor to balladlike lyricism to folkloric wisdom, these pieces enact a tragic sense of life, depicting โmadwomenโ who are anything but mad. Strong and intensely human, Mistralโs poetic women confront impossible situations to which no sane response exists. This groundbreaking collection presents poems from Mistralโs final published volume as well as new editions of posthumous work, featuring the first English-language appearance of many essential poems.Madwomenpromises to reveal a profound poet to a new generation of Anglophone readers while reacquainting Spanish readers with a stranger, more complicated โmadwomanโ than most have ever known.