Carmen Lyra facts for kids

Carmen Lyra (born María Isabel Carvajal Quesada) was a very important writer from Costa Rica. She was born on January 15, 1887, and passed away on May 14, 1949. Carmen Lyra was a teacher who started Costa Rica's first school using the Montessori method. She also helped create the Communist Party of Costa Rica and one of the country's first unions for women workers. She was one of the first writers to speak out against big fruit companies. She received many awards for her work.

Carmen Lyra's Early Life and Education

María Isabel Carvajal Quesada was born on January 15, 1887, in San José, Costa Rica. She went to the Superior School for Girls and finished her studies in 1904.

In 1906, she started working at the San Juan de Dios Hospital. However, she soon realized that a religious life was not for her. Instead, she chose to become a teacher and a writer. She began sending articles to newspapers like Diario de Costa Rica and La Tribuna. She also wrote for magazines such as Ariel and Pandemonium. At the same time, she taught in different parts of the country.

Becoming a Famous Writer

In 1918, Carmen Lyra published her first novel, En una silla de ruedas (In a Wheelchair). This book showed everyday life and customs in Costa Rica through the eyes of a boy who becomes an artist.

In 1919, teachers protested against the government at that time. Carmen Lyra spoke to the crowd, and they became so angry that they burned down a government news office. She managed to escape from the police by dressing up as a newspaper seller.

Her most famous book, Los Cuentos de Mi Tia Panchita (Tales of My Aunt Panchita), came out in 1920. It is a collection of popular folk tales.

Studying Abroad and New Schools

After the government changed, Carmen Lyra received a scholarship to study in Europe. She went to the Sorbonne in France and also visited schools in Italy and England. She wanted to learn about different teaching methods used there.

She returned to Costa Rica in 1921. She then managed the Children's Literature Department at the Normal School of Costa Rica. In 1926, Lyra started and led the first Montessori pre-kindergarten. This school taught children from the poorest families in San José.

Fighting for Workers' Rights

Carmen Lyra's home became a meeting place for thinkers and writers. Her political ideas became more focused on helping workers. In 1931, she and Manuel Mora Valverde helped create the Costa Rican Communist Party.

Many other teachers joined her. They wanted to challenge a society where women were mostly expected to stay home. That same year, Lyra and Luisa González formed the Unique Union of Women Workers. They also suggested creating a union for Costa Rican Teachers. This teachers' union was finally created in 1939.

In 1931, she published Bananos y Hombres (Bananas and Men). This book talked about the problems faced by banana workers. It came out before a big banana workers' strike in 1934. Carmen Lyra played an important part in organizing this strike.

Exile and Legacy

Because of her strong political actions, Carmen Lyra was removed from her teaching jobs. In 1948, after the Costa Rican Civil War, the communist party was made illegal. Carmen Lyra was forced to leave Costa Rica and live in Mexico.

Even though she asked many times to come back home because she was sick, she was not allowed. Carmen Lyra passed away in Mexico City on May 14, 1949.

In 1962, a school in Cóbano was named in her honor. In 1976, the Costa Rica Legislative Assembly gave her the special title of Benemérita de la Cultura Nacional. This means "Distinguished Citizen of National Culture."

In 2005, Lyra was added to La Galería de las Mujeres de Costa Rica (The Costa Rican Gallery of Women). Since 2010, Carmen Lyra's picture has been on the twenty thousand colon banknote in Costa Rica. In 2011, a new musical and artistic show called "Homenaje a Carmen Lyra" (Tribute to Carmen Lyra) was performed. It was inspired by her writings.

Carmen Lyra's Books

• En una silla de ruedas (1918)
• Fantasías de Juan Silvestre (1918)
• Cuentos De Mi Tia Panchita (1920)
• Bananos Y Hombres (1931)

See also

In Spanish: Carmen Lyra para niños