My Mother, That Stranger – Letters from the Spanish Civil War
Autor Concha Alborgen Limba Engleză Paperback – 9 oct 2019
Over eight-hundred letters were written between the author's newly-engaged parents during the time that her father was on the Republican war front fighting against Franco's forces, and her mother awaiting the end of the war. Her father, Professor Juan Luis Alborg, would live to become a well-known literary historian and critic. Her mother's life, on the other hand, was overshadowed by her husband's academic celebrity. The letters were discovered whilst preparing for a symposium marking the centenary of her father's birth, celebrated at the University of Malaga in 2014. This unique memoir is a micro-history of the Spanish Civil War at an individual level; it illuminates the 'official story' as told in history books at multiple levels. Her mother's personal narrative adds to the understanding of this significant time because she shows how a family lived in the midst of war. A primary relevance is that she lived in Valencia, which in November 1936 become the official capital of the Republican government. Working in a government co-op gave her an insider's view of the ongoing political and military situation. She describes the contrasting burdens between family life in Valencia, and the life of her fianc soldier on the southern frontlines. The author's mother is exemplary of the women who were formed under the liberal Second Spanish Republic (193139) only to be silenced during Franco's repressive dictatorship (193975). The long-lost letters made Concha Alborg realize how little she understood her mother's passion to set down complex feelings in the most difficult of circumstances. My Mother, that Stranger; will be of interest to Hispanists, historians and literary critics for its uniqueness on the epistolary genre and gender studies, and to the general public as a heartfelt family memoir.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9781789760309
ISBN-10: 1789760305
Pagini: 240
Ilustrații: illus
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 14 mm
Greutate: 0.41 kg
Editura: Liverpool University Press
ISBN-10: 1789760305
Pagini: 240
Ilustrații: illus
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 14 mm
Greutate: 0.41 kg
Editura: Liverpool University Press
Cuprins
Contents Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION, FINDING THE LETTERS A box in the attic The oldest of seven A New Year's Day party CONCHITA'S LETTERS An unknown calligraphy Escaping to the cinema TWO VISIONS OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR In Valencia On the front lines A PYGMALION STORY Her readings Deconstruction of a poem A book trader TERMS OF ENDEARMENT The ideal interlocutor Such an ugly man His beloved LINGUISTIC STYLE The Valencian language Popular sayings Repetitions and imitations DISCOVERING MY MOTHER A woman of her times Food for the body and soul My mother as a mother RECOGNIZING MY FATHER The Don Juan character A Titan of a man FAMILY MATTERS Her siblings His stepmother EXEMPLARY LETTERS August 2, 1937: "When I am Alborgs wife" November 19, 1937: "Until there remains a breath of life in me" December 23, 1938: "Will this separation ever end?" January 3, 1939: "We are going to be very happy" March 21, 1939: "I don't know how long this infernal war can last" LIFE IN SPAIN Valencia and Madrid: two gardens to stroll by Letters from 1946 and 1953 LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES The language barrier An immigrant story: From Seattle to the Midwest A short life lived EPILOGUE, DETERMINING THE TRUTH The nonagenarian The book dedications APPENDIX: SOME OF MY MOTHER'S RECIPES Recipes in the letters and my mother's notebook Cauliflower Bchamel for unexpected guests My mothers Valencian Paella Stuffed Flank Steak in a letter "Rollitos;" Christmas Anisette Cookies From the old World to the New: "Cocido Madrileo" and Tortilla Soup BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX
Notă biografică
Dr. Concha Alborg was born in Valencia, Spain. She has lived in the United States since the 1960s. For over twenty years she was a professor of contemporary Spanish literature at Saint Josephs University, Philadelphia. Her academic publications include: Cinco figuras en torno a la novela de posguerra: Galvarriato, Soriano, Formica, Boixados y Aldecoa (1993), a critical edition of Caza menor by Elena Soriano (1992), Temas y tecnicas en la narrativa de Jesus Fernandez Santos (1984), and numerous articles and reviews. A full publishing biography is provided on the press website.