The Island

brilliant, devastating … every character is remarkable and captivating * The Times Literary Supplement *
a great book, unruly and passionate and brutal – Jonathan Gibbs * Tiny Camels *
a feverish, dramatic brew … the style is intoxicating … it offers a unique view of a part of Spain usually overlooked by literature * The Irish Times *

Ana Maria Matute (Author)

Born in Barcelona in 1925, Ana Maria Matute (d. 2014) began her career as a novelist in the late 1940s, quickly becoming established as one of the most significant literary voices of the Spanish post-war period. In spite of singularly harsh treatment by the Francoist censor - which described her as irreverent and immoral, banned her from engaging in journalistic activities, and forced her to alter or delay the publication of her writing for both adults and children - Matute’s lyrical prose style and sensitive treatment of both conflict and childhood earned her both the Premio Nadal (for Primera memoria) and Spain’s National Prize for Literature in 1959, a rare seat in the Real Academia Espanola in 1996, and the Spanish-speaking world’s most coveted literary prize, the Premio Cervantes, in 2010. She is, to date, one of only four female authors to have received it.

Laura Lonsdale (Translator)

Laura Lonsdale is Associate Professor in Spanish at the University of Oxford and Fellow of The Queen’s College.

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