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A translation of women's testimonies about their experiences in the prisons of Spain following the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 collected by Tomasa Cuevas, herself a surviving victim of the Francoist prison system.
Prison of Women presents oral testimonies of women incarcerated following the Spanish Civil War. The primary voice in the collection, Tomasa Cuevas, spent many years in prisons throughout Spain as a political prisoner. After the death of Franco in 1975, Cuevas began to collect oral testimonies from women she had known in prison as she traveled throughout Spain recording their stories. These, along with hers, eventually were published in three volumes in Spain. Prison of Women is a collaboration between Tomasa Cuevas and Mary E. Giles, translator and editor, who wrote the introduction and afterword, and provided contextual information in notes and a glossary. The testimonies offer a compelling record of the years leading up to the Spanish Civil War, the aftermath of that horrendous struggle, and a revealing testament to the strength of the human spirit.
"I greatly admire the power of these simple, understated narratives to reveal the courage of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. This is a profoundly moving book in quiet and unexpected ways. I often felt myself transported—not only to another place and time—but into other consciences and destinies. Prison of Women is a cornucopia of telling, existential revelations about life, death, struggle, and hope. This is history first-hand, free from jargon, deepened by time and a tragic sense of life. It is a text of memories, colored and shaped by loss, yet filled with affirmation." — Robert Inchausti, author of The Ignorant Perfection of Ordinary People
"This is an extremely powerful book, deftly edited and translated to bring forward a group of stories that deserve to be heard and could too easily be lost." — Amanda Powell, University of Oregon
Introduction
by Mary E. Giles
PART 1 War and Prison
Chapter 1 Growing Up in Prewar Spain
Chapter 2 Coming of Age in Politics and War
Chapter 3 Prison Life Begins: Guadalajara 1939
Chapter 4 Sisters Condemned to Death: Blasa Rojo at Guadalajara
Chapter 5 Childbirth in Prison: Nieves Waldemer Santisteban at Guadalajara
Chapter 6 My Prison Odyssey: Durango 1939–1940
Chapter 7 The Dynamiter: Rosario Sánchez Mora at Durango
Chapter 8 Into the Storm: Santander 1940–1942
Chapter 9 A Minor in Prison: María del Carmen Cuesta at Santander
Chapter 10 The Cemetery of the Living: Amorebieta 1942–1943
Chapter 11 The Socialist: Pilar Pascual Martínez at Amorebieta
Chapter 12 Solidarity and Compassion: Ventas and Segovia 1943–1944
Chapter 13 Reflections on Prison Life for Women: Josefina Amalia Villa at Ventas and Segovia
Chapter 14 The Costs of Sacrifice: Antonia García at Ventas and Segovia
PART 2 Resistance and Prison
Chapter 15 A Stranger in a Strange City 1944–1945
Chapter 16 The Exile of Prison: Les Corts 1945–1946
Chapter 17 From Prison to Clandestine Life Again 1946
Chapter 18 Escape: Victoria Pujolar at Les Corts
Chapter 19 Through the Gate to Freedom: Adelaida Abarca at Les Corts
Chapter 20 Crossing the Border: Angelita Ramis at Les Corts
Chapter 21 The Guerrilla: Esperanza Martínez
Chapter 22 The Burden and Strength of Clandestinity 1946–1948
Chapter 23 The Long Years 1948–1976
Afterword
by Mary E. Giles
Glossary
Notes