María Dueñas facts for kids

María Dueñas Vinuesa (born in 1964) is a famous Spanish writer and university professor. She became very well-known in 2009. This was thanks to her first novel, El tiempo entre costuras. It quickly became one of the most popular Spanish books. It has been translated into more than 25 languages.

María Dueñas's Life and Books

María Dueñas Vinuesa was born in Puertollano, Spain, in 1964. She studied English at the Complutense University of Madrid. Later, she earned another degree from Michigan State University in the United States.

In the 1990s, she moved to Cartagena. She worked as a teacher at a military base. She also became a professor at the University of Murcia. She taught there for about 20 years.

Her First Big Hit: The Time in Between

María Dueñas became famous in 2009. Her first novel, El tiempo entre costuras, was a huge success in Spain. It was also published in English as The Time in Between or The Seamstress. This book is a historical spy story. It sold over a million copies. It has been translated into more than 25 languages.

The novel won several awards. These include the Historical Novel Award from the City of Cartagena. It also won the 2011 Culture Award for Literature. The book was even made into a TV show. The show was produced by the Spanish TV channel Antena 3.

The story of El tiempo entre costuras is about a seamstress named Sira Quiroga. She moves to Morocco with her boyfriend. This happens just before a big conflict in Spain. After many challenges, she opens her own sewing shop there.

More Popular Novels

Dueñas had another big success in 2012. She published her second novel, Misión Olvido. In English, it's called The Heart Has Its Reasons. This story takes place in different times and places. It moves between old Spanish missions in California and modern Spain. By 2013, over half a million copies of Misión Olvido had been sold. It also won the Culture Award for Literature from the Madrid region.

Her third novel, La Templanza, came out in 2015. It is set in the 1800s. The story travels between Mexico City, Havana, and Jerez de la Frontera. Because her first book's TV show was so popular, La Templanza was also made into a TV series. This series, called The Vineyard, was released in 2021 on Amazon Prime Video.

In 2018, Dueñas published her fourth novel, Las hijas del Capitán. This book is set in New York City in the early 1900s. It tells the story of Spanish immigrants living there.

Published Works

• The Time in Between or The Seamstress [es] (2009)
• The Heart Has Its Reasons [es] (2012)
• The Vineyard or A Vineyard in Andalusia (La templanza) (2015)
• Las hijas del Capitán (2018)
• Sira (2021)

See also

In Spanish: María Dueñas para niños