María Teresa León Goyri (31 October 1903 – 13 December 1988) was a Spanish writer, activist and cultural ambassador. Born in

Logroño Logroño ( , , ) is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja, Spain. Located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in the right (South) bank of the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of pa ...

, she was the niece of the Spanish feminist and writer

María Goyri María Amalia Vicenta Goyri also known as María Goyri de Menéndez Pidal (29 August 1873 in Madrid –28 November 1954 in Madrid) was a Spanish Hispanist, literary critic, researcher, educator and advocate for women's rights. In 1896 she becam ...

(the wife of

Ramón Menéndez Pidal Ramón Menéndez Pidal (; 13 March 1869 – 14 November 1968) was a Spanish philologist and historian."Ramon Menendez Pidal", ''Almanac of Famous People'' (2011) ''Biography in Context'', Gale, Detroit He worked extensively on the history of t ...

). She herself was married to the Spanish poet

Rafael Alberti Rafael Alberti Merello (16 December 1902 – 28 October 1999) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. He is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the so-called ''Silver Age'' of Spanish Literature, and he won numer ...

. She contributed numerous articles to the periodical ''

Diario de Burgos The ''Diario de Burgos'' is a Spanish daily newspaper. Its primary market is the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. The newspaper is based in Burgos. Its first edition was published in 1891. History On 1 ...

'' and published the children's books ''Cuentos para soñar'' and ''La bella del mal amor''.

Life

Daughter of Angel León Lores, a colonel in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

army and Oliva Goyri, María Teresa grew up in a wealthy household filled with books and that was constantly on the move. As a girl she lived in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

reading the books of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

and

Benito Pérez Galdós Benito María de los Dolores Pérez Galdós (; 10 May 1843 – 4 January 1920) was a Spanish Spanish Realist literature, realist novelist. He was a leading literary figure in 19th-century Spain, and some scholars consider him second only to Mi ...

. Due to the itinerant nature of her father's career, nomadism had a profound impact on her life. Her mother, Oliva Goyri, an unconventional woman for her day, sent her to study at the ''

Institución Libre de Enseñanza The Institución Libre de Enseñanza (ILE, English: ''Free Teaching Institution'') was a pedagogical experience developed in Spain for more than half a century (1876–1939). It was inspired by the Krausism, Krausist philosophy introduced at the Co ...

'' (Free Institution of Education), where her aunt,

, taught. She earned a BA in

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and Letters. In 1920, when she was sixteen, she married Gonzalo de Sebastián Alfaro and had two sons, Gonzalo (b. 1921) and Enrique (b. 1925). The marriage didn't last, she lost custody of her two children and moved to her family home in

. There she began to contribute articles for the ''

'' that dealt with current affairs, culture, and women's rights. She wrote under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

''Isabel Inghirami'', the heroine of Gabriele d'Annunzio's ''Forse che sì, forse che no'' (Maybe yes, Maybe no). She made her first visit to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

in 1928. In 1929 she met the poet

who was to become her lifetime companion. They were married in a civil ceremony in

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

in 1932. That year the ''Patronato del Centro para Ampliación de Estudios'' (Board for Advanced Studies) gave her a grant to study the European theatre movement. She travelled to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

meeting the so-called "Revolutionary writers" and writing a dozen articles that were published in

El Heraldo de Madrid The ''Heraldo de Madrid'' (originally ''El Heraldo de Madrid'') was a Spanish daily newspaper published from 1890 to 1939, with an evening circulation. It came to espouse a Republican leaning in its later spell. History The publication was fo ...

. In 1933 María and Alberti founded the journal '' Octubre'' and in 1934 she returned to the

to attend the "

First Congress of Soviet Writers The First Congress of Soviet Writers was an all-Union meeting of writers, held in Moscow from August 17 to September 1, 1934, which led to the founding of the Union of Soviet Writers. It was staged soon after Communist International, Comintern h ...

" where she met

Maxim Gorki Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an auth ...

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...

and

Erwin Piscator Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and Theatrical producer, producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio- ...

among others. Later that year she went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to raise funds for the workers affected by the October 1934 Asturian miners' revolt which soon developed into an armed insurrection against the

Spanish government The government of Spain () is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the o ...

ending in the deaths of 2,000 people including priests, miners and army personnel. This response eventually led to the

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

of different leftist factions that sparked the creation of the Popular Front.

Spanish Civil War

On 18 July 1936 María and Rafael were in

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

when the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

broke out. They returned to

where she became secretary of the '' Alliance of Antifascist Intellectuals'' and founded the magazine, ''

El Mono Azul ''El Mono Azul'' () was an anti-fascist magazine which was published in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War. The magazine existed between 1936 and 1939 and was one of the major cultural, intellectual and artistic publications during the war with ...

'' (The Blue Overall) which came out on 27 August 1936. Contributors included

Manuel Altolaguirre Manuel Altolaguirre Bolín (29 June 1905 – 26 July 1959) was a Spanish poet, an editor, publisher, and printer of poetry, and a member of the Generation of '27. Biography Born in the Andalusian city of Málaga in 1905, Altolaguirre's collabora ...

, Antonio Aparicio,

Vicente Aleixandre Vicente Pío Marcelino Cirilo Aleixandre y Merlo (; 26 April 1898 – 14 December 1984) was a Spanish poet who was born in Seville. Aleixandre received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1977 "for a creative poetic writing which illuminates man ...

, José Bergamin,

Luis Cernuda Luis Cernuda Bidón (September 21, 1902 – November 5, 1963) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. During the Spanish Civil War, in early 1938, he went to the UK to deliver some lectures and this became the start of an exile ...

Antonio Machado Antonio Cipriano José María y Francisco de Santa Ana Machado y Ruiz (26 July 1875 – 22 February 1939), known as Antonio Machado, was a Spanish poet and one of the leading figures of the Spanish literary movement known as the Generation ...

Ramón J. Sender Ramón José Sender Garcés (3 February 1901 – 16 January 1982) was a Spanish novelist, essayist and journalist. Several of his works were translated into English by the distinguished zoologist, Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell, including ''Seven ...

Lorenzo Varela Xesús Manuel Lorenzo Varela Vázquez (August 10, 1916 in Havana – November 25, 1978 in Madrid) was a Galician poet who spent most of his adult life in exile in Argentina. Life and work Varela was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1916 to Galician pa ...

, María Zambrano and many non-Spanish writers such as

John Dos Passos John Roderigo Dos Passos (; January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his U.S.A. (trilogy), ''U.S.A.'' trilogy. Born in Chicago, Dos Passos graduated from Harvard College in 1916. He traveled widely as a ...

Vicente Huidobro Vicente García-Huidobro Fernández (; January 10, 1893 – January 2, 1948) was a Chilean poet born to an aristocracy, aristocratic family. He promoted the avant-garde literary movement in Chile and was the creator and greatest exponent of t ...

and

Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...

. The publication lasted for forty-seven issues, almost the entire period of the civil war. She served on the ''Junta de Defensa y Protección del Tesoro Artístico Nacional'' (Board of Defense and Protection of National Artistic Patrimony) which saved the art of the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

Palacio Real The Royal Palace of Madrid () is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest royal palace in Eu ...

, Palacio Liria and the

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...

from the aerial bombardment during the war. At first the art was stored in the

Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...

, but after the Prado was directly hit by nine bombs in late November, María, along with her husband

Rafael Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California Fiction * ''Rafael'' (TV series), a Mexican telenovela * ''Rafaël'' (film), a 2018 Dutch film People * Rafael (footballer, born 1978) ( ...

led the 3 December evacuation of the Prado with a convoy of camouflaged trucks to a safe location in

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. Rafael later wrote ''Noche de guerra en el Museo del Prado'' (Night of War in the Prado Museum), a play in which characters in paintings by

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, an ...

come to life to defend the besieged city of Madrid. The play premiered at the ''Piccolo Theatre'' in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1973 and at the Teatro María Guerrero, Madrid in 1977. She wrote "They sacrificed us. We were the Spain with torn clothes and heads held high".

Exile (1939–1977)

After the Republican defeat they fled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

via

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

. They lived in Paris until the end of 1940 working as translators for

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

radio and as announcers for the broadcasts of ''Paris-Mondial'' in

Latin-America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish and Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geography, and as such it includes countri ...

. After the

German occupation of France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

they sailed from

Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

on the SS Mendoza where they were reunited with thousands of other Spaniards who had been forced to flee their country. Here she used exile to her advantage to criticize her country and avoid the

Francoist Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

censorship. In 1941 María gave birth to their daughter, the poet Aitana. During the 1940s and 1950s she gave readings of her work at benefits that aided Nazi victims or striking workers in Argentina; many of which were in organized in collaboration with soprano

Isa Kremer Isabelle Yakovlevna Kremer (; 21 October 1887 – 7 July 1956) was a soprano of Russian Jewish descent who at various times of her life held citizenship in Russia, the United States, and Argentina. She first drew notice as a teenager for her rev ...

who sang at these benefits. With the arrival of

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...

the political and artistic censorship imposed made life increasingly difficult in

and in 1963, after a 23-year stay in

, they moved to

. On 27 April 1977 they returned to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

after almost thirty-eight years of exile. María, however, was suffering from

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

and could not recognize even her closest old friends. She spent her last years in a sanatorium in the mountains outside

. She died on 13 December 1988 and is buried in the cemetery at

Majadahonda Majadahonda () is a municipality in Spain, situated northwest of Madrid, in the Community of Madrid. It lies alongside the motorway A6 Madrid- A Coruña. The Puerta de Hierro university (public) hospital was relocated to Majadahonda from the ...

just outside Madrid. On her grave are the words written by her husband: "Esta mañana, amor, tenemos veinte años" (This morning, love, we are twenty years old). María Teresa León always carried her love for Gonzalo and Enrique, her first children. In her life she suffered from the separations produced by two exiles: the first from her children, and then from her country.Maureen Tobin Stanley & Gesa Zinn, ''Female Exiles in Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Europe'', (2007), p.141-153

Writings

Collections of short stories: * ''Cuentos para soñar'' (Tales for Dreaming), (1928, dedicated to her eldest son, Gonzalo) * ''Le bella del mal amor'' (The Beauty of Bad Love), (1930) * ''Rosa-Fría, patinadora de la luna'' (Rosa-Fría, Moon Skater), (1934) * ''Tales from Contemporary Spain'', (1935) * ''Morirás lejos'' (You Will Die Far Away), (1942) * ''Fábulas del tiempo amargo'' (Fables of Bitter Times), (1962) Novels: * ''Contra viento y marea'' (Against All Odds), (1941) * ''El gran amor de Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer'' (Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer's Great Love), (1946) * ''Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, el Cid Campeador'', (1954) * ''Juego limpio'' (Clean Game), (1954) * ''Menesteos, marinero de abril'' (Menesteos, Seaman of April), (1965) * ''Doña Jimena Díaz de Vivar'', (1968) * ''Cervantes, El soldado que nos enseñó a hablar'' (Cervantes, the Soldier Who Taught Us to Speak), (1978) Non-fiction: * ''La historia tiene la palabra'' (History Has the Word), (1944) * ''Sonríe China'' (China Smiles), (1958) * ''Memoria de la Melancolía'' (Memory of Melancholy), (1977) – Autobiography. Republished 2020. Plays: * ''Huelga en el Puerto'' (Strike at the Harbor), (1933) * ''La liberdad en el tejado'' (Freedom on the Roof), (written in exile and published in 1989) Screenplays: * ''Los ojos más bellos del mundo'' (The Most Beautiful Eyes in the World), (1943) * ''La dama duende'' (The Phantom Lady), (1945) * ''Nuestro hogar de cada día'' (Our Daily Home), (1958, for radio)

Awards in her name

* Equality Prize "Teresa León Goyri – City of Logroño" – Granted on December 20, 2022 in Spain to IES Cosme García High School in the category of entities and to journalist and filmmaker Chelo Alvarez-Stehle in the category of individuals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Maria Teresa 1903 births 1988 deaths Spanish children's writers Spanish women children's writers Spanish exiles Spanish feminist writers Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in France Women in war 1900–1945 Women in war in Spain Spanish dramatists and playwrights Spanish women dramatists and playwrights Spanish women novelists People from Logroño 20th-century Spanish novelists Spanish magazine founders Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in Argentina 20th-century Spanish women writers Las Sinsombrero members