all cards
In January 1942, at the age of 22, a young writer sent a letter to a sister, declaring that writing was the highest calling in life. This confession followed the success of a debut novel that resonated beyond the page. What emerges from these early exchanges is a twenty year thread of correspondence with sisters, peers, editors, and artists, a life lived away from home as a diplomat’s wife. Reading these letters reveals that the correspondence that fed the writer was as vivid and vital as the novels, short stories, and diaries that earned enduring recognition.
Alongside novels and stories, correspondence became a lifelong passion. Through the letters, readers can trace forty years of a personal journey, from the restless years of growth to the obstacles overcome in bringing work to life, and the tensions of a woman determined to shape her own identity within a narrowly drawn feminine cosmos.
These letters cover literary, personal, and family realms, offering a window into a broad universe. A complete collection of 284 missives, sent to family, friends, and publishers, has been published in Spanish with the heading All Cards. The material includes substantial unpublished content, compiled through an extensive effort by journalist Larisa Vaz to present a holistic view of the person and the author, guided by biographers and relatives.
Reading the correspondence reveals a resolute figure who refuses to be boxed as merely an intellectual icon. She describes a life that is practical and intimate, tending to home, children, friends, and daily routines, while acknowledging the critiques that can distort perception. Yet behind that ordinary life lies a consciousness of obligations and a fierce drive to fulfill personal desires. She writes of insecurity, balance, and the need for security, even as she questions the value of every sentence she crafts. The letters reveal a woman who asks for her sisters to write back while guarding moments of solitude, a sister who acts with both affection and boundary. It is possible to glimpse a sister who becomes almost a mother to her two siblings, a figure who navigates love, responsibility, and ambition across decades that include a more nomadic life and eventual return home from abroad.
All Cards
edición: Siruela
Traducción: Elena Losada
Corrección: Larissa Vaz / Teresa Montero
Precio: 46,95 €
The reader can follow the evolution of a writer who chose to forge a path at a time when the national literary academy showed resistance to a woman’s place in the canon. A late reflection to a friend hints at the ongoing tension between belonging and independence, showing that the academy would not easily concede a broader framework for female writers.
In the letters, a scholar notes that the personal and the craft are tightly interwoven. The writings themselves become a living record of the process, revealing the motivations, hesitations, and daily work that accompany literary production. The letters stand as testimony to a writer whose private life and public voice intersect in ways that illuminate both craft and character.
The collection offers a wealth of material for anyone interested in how writing evolves under personal pressure and public scrutiny. It provides unique access to unpublished correspondences among celebrated authors, especially exchanges with friends and colleagues that illuminate the craft of the novel and the short form. The letters to a poet and to other writers reveal a conviction that literature can be a living, transforming act rather than a static artifact. They also touch on the idea that literature should aim to refresh itself, to look anew, and to challenge prevailing norms. The correspondence with mentors and peers adds depth to the understanding of the writer’s voice and the ongoing conversation that shaped a distinctive literary career as the 20th century unfolded.
The collection, aimed at guiding readers toward a richer understanding of a writer who rarely justified every choice, shows how personal struggle became a universal literary resonance. The letters narrate a journey from insecurity to a powerful creative presence, maintaining a delicate balance between privacy and public storytelling. They offer a lens into a life spent pursuing art while negotiating the demands of family and the responsibilities of visibility. The result is a vivid portrait of a writer and a woman who left an enduring imprint on modern literature, thanks to the magnetic pull of her prose and the enduring appeal of her recorded voice.