Languages at war in Latin American women writers

This book chapter reflects on contemporary social and media debates on trauma and memory in Latin America, through the lens of women’s memoirs. It acknowledges a memory turn in Spanish-American literature, from works about the 1970s-1980s guerrillas and revolutions, published in the 2000s. The chapter traces the particular uses of language that some female authors have developed to represent themselves while traveling on their own, involved in dangerous politics and writing about it. It also sheds light into minor literary genres and lesser known female authors, studying their capacity to represent reality as a means of individual and collective expression. It mainly focuses on The Country Under My Skyn: A memoir of love and war (2001), by Nicaraguan novelist and poet Gioconda Belli. This book offers a female perspective on war and politics, while also raising awareness of class and gender inequalities. This chapter will compare Belli’s work with other authors who shared exiles and censorship, such as Argentinean Luisa Valenzuela and Uruguayan Cristina Peri Rossi.