Margarita Hickey facts for kids

Margarita Hickey (born 1753) was a Spanish writer and translator. She was also known as Margarita Hickey-Pellizzoni. She wrote poems about her life and ideas. She is famous for translating French plays into Spanish.

Early Life and Family

Margarita Hickey was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1753. Her mother was an opera singer from Milan, Italy. Her father was an army officer from Dublin, Ireland. When Margarita was a child, her family moved to Madrid.

Marriage and Independence

Margarita was a young woman when she married Juan Antonio de Aguirre. He was a nobleman from Navarre and was in his 70s. In 1779, when Margarita was 26, her husband passed away. She chose not to marry again after that. She had many people who wanted to marry her, but she preferred to stay single.

A Writer, Poet, and Advocate for Women

After her husband died, Margarita had more time for her interests. She studied geography and worked on her writing. She wrote a book about geography called Descripcion geografica e historica de todo el orbe conocido hasta ahora. This means "Geographic and Historical Description of the Whole Known World to the Present." However, this book was never published. The Spanish Academy of History did not accept it.

Women's Rights in the 1700s

In the 1700s, many people wanted to give women more chances to succeed. A Spanish monk named Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro wrote a famous essay in 1726. It was called Defense of Women. Later, another writer, Josefa Amar, wrote about women's talents. These ideas inspired strong Spanish women writers, like Margarita Hickey. They believed it was important to value women in society.

However, not everyone agreed. Many people wanted women to stay in traditional roles. They did not want women to get a good education or have jobs.

Margarita's Poetry and Beliefs

Margarita Hickey wrote poems using the pen name Antonia Hernanda de la Oliva. Her poems showed how different a woman's life was compared to a man's. She believed that educated women could be just as good as men in science and art. She also wrote romantic poems.

In her book Poesias varias sagradas, morales y profanas oamorosas, she wrote about different kinds of love. This book was published in 1789. One poem was called Longings of the Soul for Divine Love, and Disillusion and Recognition of the Ugliness of Profane Love.

Translating French Plays

Margarita also translated French plays into Spanish. Her translations of Andromache by Jean Racine and Zaïre by Voltaire were printed in her book. These were some of the first French plays translated into Spanish. She also wrote poems about the bravery of Captain Velasco and Captain General Pedro Cevallos in a battle in 1762.

Later in her career, she signed her works with her initials, M.H. Her poetry was also included in a collection called The Defiant Muse: Hispanic Feminist Poems from Middle Ages to the Present.

Later Life

Margarita Hickey passed away in Madrid. This happened around 1791 or after 1793.

See also

In Spanish: Margarita Hickey para niños