Teresa de la Parra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Teresa de la Parra
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| Born | October 5, 1889 Paris, France |
| Died | April 23, 1936 (aged 46) Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Period | 1920-1936 |
| Notable works | Ifigenia, Memorias de Mamá Blanca |
Teresa de la Parra (born October 5, 1889 – died April 23, 1936) was a famous Venezuelan writer. She wrote novels that changed how people saw women in society.
Contents
Life Story of Teresa de la Parra
Teresa de la Parra was born in Paris, France. Her real name was Ana Teresa Parra Sanojo. Her father was Rafael Parra Hernáiz, who worked for Venezuela in Berlin. Her mother was Isabel Sanojo de Parra.
Early Years and Education
Teresa grew up in a rich family. She spent some of her childhood on her father's large farm called Tazón. After her father passed away, Teresa and her sisters moved to Godella, Spain. There, they went to the Sacred Heart School. They received a good education, which was common for young women from wealthy families at that time. When she was 19, Teresa returned to Caracas, Venezuela.
Later Life and Travels
Later, Teresa de la Parra lived in Paris. She traveled a lot and had an active social life. She started to research the life of Simón Bolívar, a famous South American hero. But her plans changed when she became sick with tuberculosis. Teresa traveled to many hospitals in Europe, especially in Switzerland and Spain, looking for a cure.
During this time, she met Lydia Cabrera, a poet from Cuba. Lydia became a very important friend to Teresa in her last years. Teresa spent time thinking about her ideas on life and writing. She also looked back at her own work and how her life had changed.
Death and Legacy
Teresa de la Parra died in Madrid, Spain. In 1947, her body was brought back to Caracas. Then, in 1989, on her 100th birthday, she was honored. Her remains were moved to the National Pantheon in Caracas. This is a special place where important Venezuelan heroes are buried.
Teresa de la Parra's Books
Teresa de la Parra loved to read and write for many hours. This was her way of going against what society expected from women of her class. Her interesting stories were printed in the newspaper El Universal. Her travel diary, Diary of a Caraqueña in the Far East, was published in a magazine.
One of her stories, Mama X, won first prize in a contest in Venezuela. This story, along with another called Diary of a young lady who writes because she is bored, helped her start her first big novel.
Iphigenia: A New Kind of Novel
Teresa de la Parra's novel, Iphigenia: Diary of a young lady who wrote because she was bored, came out in 1924. This book was a big change for Venezuelan literature. Teresa wrote most of it between 1921 and 1922. This was a time when a strong leader named Juan Vicente Gómez was in charge of Venezuela.
Characters and Society
Some characters in Iphigenia were very much like real people in Caracas society. Characters like Abuelita, Tía Clara, and César Leal showed how strict people were about rules and manners. Other characters, like Gabriel Olmedo and Tío Pancho, were ambitious and not always honest. They showed how men had more freedom than women in that society.
The main character, María Eugenia Alonso, is smart and well-educated. She is a bit like Teresa de la Parra herself. María Eugenia struggles because she doesn't want to get married if it means she can't learn and grow. She wants to know if a smart woman can avoid marriage and still be respected in a society where women are expected to be wives and mothers.
Success and Impact
Iphigenia had a new style and talked about important social issues. Because of this, some people in Venezuela and Colombia had strong opinions about it. The government of Juan Vicente Gómez would not help Venezuelan publishers print the book. So, Teresa de la Parra went to Paris, where she had friends who helped her.
In 1924, Iphigenia won an award from a publishing house in Paris. Teresa de la Parra finally got her book published and won 10,000 French francs. The book became very popular with thinkers and readers in Paris. It was soon translated into French. After traveling and giving talks, Teresa started her second major book.
Mama Blanca's Memoirs: A Look Back at Childhood
Memorias de Mamá Blanca (which means "Mama Blanca's Memoirs") was published in 1929. This book was a fictional story based on Teresa de la Parra's own childhood. It was full of happy memories. The lively spirit of the four sisters on the Tazón farm in her real life was shown through six sisters on the Piedra Azul farm in the book.
This book was seen as more "proper" than Iphigenia. Those who had criticized Iphigenia liked Mama Blanca's Memoirs more. Teresa de la Parra wrote in her letters that Mama Blanca's Memoirs did not have any protests, new ideas, or social criticism.
Teresa de la Parra became a popular speaker. She gave important talks in Havana, Cuba, and Bogotá, Colombia. Her talk in Bogotá was very special. In it, she shared her ideas about the role of women in American society, from the time of the colonies up to the 1900s.
See also
In Spanish: Teresa de la Parra para niños
