Teresa de la Parra: A Literary Life

This book is the first comprehensive study of Teresa de la Parra for English-speaking readers. The volume includes a biographical chapter and analyses of de la Parra's two novels, Iphigenia: the diary of a young lady who wrote because she was bored and Mama Blanca's Memoirs. An annotated version of the Three Colombian Lectures: Women's Influence in the Formation of the American Soul reveals the importance of Latin American women's contributions in Latin American history and speaks to gender issues sparked by critical reactions to Iphigenia. Translations of de la Parra's selected letters, short stories, and entries from the Bellevue-Fuenfria-Madrid Diary provide a more complete picture of the writer and help tie her works to her life. The book reviews literary criticism on de la Parra, providing an overview of what Venezuelan, Latin American and American critics and biographers have to say about the author and her works. De la Parra bridged the gap between Venezuelan and European traditions, and this book examines the author's contribution to Venezuelan and Latin American literary traditions while showcasing her as a model of Latin American women's writing whose influence is being rediscovered and reevaluated.