Luisa Carnés facts for kids

Luisa Carnés (born January 3, 1905 – died March 12, 1964) was a talented writer and journalist from Spain. She wrote many stories and articles, often focusing on the lives of working-class people.

Luisa's Early Life and First Books

Luisa Carnés was born in Madrid, Spain, on January 3, 1905. She was the oldest of six children. Her father was a barber, and her mother was a seamstress. Her family faced money problems. Because of this, Luisa had to leave school when she was only eleven years old. She started working as an apprentice, learning to make hats. Even though she left school early, Luisa loved to learn on her own. She was a self-taught person, meaning she learned by reading a lot. She enjoyed books by famous writers like Cervantes, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. In 1928, Luisa published her first collection of short stories, called Peregrinos de Calvario. Two years later, in 1930, her first novel, Natacha, came out. Both books were published by a company called Compañía Iberoamericana de Publicaciones (CIAP). Luisa also worked at this company. There, she met Ramón Puyol, an illustrator, who later became her husband.

Moving and Writing Tea Rooms

In 1931, the publishing company where Luisa worked closed down. Luisa and Ramón then moved from Madrid to a city called Algeciras. In 1932, Luisa returned to Madrid by herself. She started working as a waitress in a tea room. This experience was very important to her. It inspired her to write what many people consider her best book. This book was called Tea Rooms. Mujeres obreras, which means Tea Rooms. Working-class Women. It showed the lives of women who worked hard every day.

Standing Up for What She Believed In

Luisa was a member of the Communist Party of Spain. She strongly believed that women should have the right to vote. She was a big supporter of the Second Spanish Republic, which was the government of Spain at that time. When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, Luisa wrote articles and plays to support the Republic. She used her writing to share her beliefs. In 1939, the Spanish Republic fell. Luisa had to leave Spain for her safety. She crossed the border into France. From there, she sailed to Mexico. Mexico offered a safe place for many Spanish people who had to leave their country. Luisa stayed in Mexico for the rest of her life. She passed away in 1964 in a car accident.

Her Books Are Remembered

For a long time, Luisa Carnés's work was not well-known in Spain. But since 2002, many of her books have been printed again. This means more people can now read her stories. In 2019, a special plaque was placed on the building where she was born in Madrid. It is at Calle Lope de Vega, 31. This plaque helps people remember her. In 2020, one of her short stories, "Without a Compass," was translated into English. It was published in a journal called Barricade: A Journal of Antifascism & Translation.

See also

In Spanish: Luisa Carnés para niños