The literary world is a versatile and charming universe that until a few years ago was mostly dominated by men, luckily this changed and today we know that those who dedicate themselves to storytelling, creating stories and shaping all that magical world as well They may be famous writers.
For many years the voices of the authors were relegated, since in the past the circle of intellectuals was full of men and they were the ones who set the pace of literature: today we want you to meet the famous writers who took a turn to the literary hierarchy.
Many of these writers have stood out for writing stories, books, novels and poetry, involving millions of readers in their stories and letters that frame a particular vision of perceiving the world.
According to primary and secondary school books, for many years the male figure predominates in literature, but this is nothing more than a distorted and completely partial reality, since there were (and still are) notable women who made great contributions to humanity with its literary works and famous phrases.
We can easily notice all of this thanks to the 19th century writers who are currently considered ” famous writers “, but at the time of publication they had to hide under male pseudonyms, since it was impossible for them to sign with their real name.
Despite the limits that society imposed on women, these were some of the first famous writers who were part of literary history and left a great mark worldwide:
Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz (1648-1695)
Her real name is Juana Ines Ramírez de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana, although she is better known by her religious name Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. She was born in Mexico, but she published her writings in various parts of Europe, earning her the title of the first great Spanish-American poetess and the first Baroque poetess, since she was part of the Baroque artistic movement.
It is said that he entered monastic life in 1669 with the aim of studying after developing a desire for reading thanks to his grandfather. Among her outstanding publications, her most important poem according to critics is “First Dream”, which made her one of the most important Mexican writers.
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)
Mary Wollstonecraft is considered one of the most outstanding famous philosophers and writers of the time, since in addition to writing and publishing stories, novels, treatises, essays, a children’s book and a travel story, she managed to become independent and establish herself as a writer in London, England, thus becoming one of the first, if not the first, professional women writers in the world.
On the other hand, she also stands out among the authors of the time for her work “Vindication of the rights of women” (1792), which is one of the most important bases of current feminism. Among her best-known phrases of her we can cite ” I do not want women to have power over men, but over themselves.”
Jane Austen (1775-1817)
She was a classic author of English literature, well known for her work “Pride and Prejudice” and for the irony and comedy of her novels. Her great talent for writing is due to the family environment in which she grew up, in which she promoted letters, reading and learning in general.
However, talent was not enough for him, since almost all his literary creations were sold under the pseudonym Mrs. Ashton Dennis or, under anonymity. Today many of her works have been made into movies.
There are those who consider her a conservative author, but when she was commissioned to novelize the criticisms that Mary Wollstonecraft makes about the education of women, many stopped perceiving her that way.
Rosalía de Castro (1837-1885)
She was a Spanish poet and novelist whose works were written in Spanish and others in Galician, since the latter was her native language. Along with Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, she is credited with being a forerunner of modern Spanish poetry and claiming Galician identity along with her language.
She was known for her poetry and among her works stands out “Cantares Gallegos”.
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)
She was one of the feminist writers of Anglo-Saxon modernism of the 20th century, a large number of her writings were based on the problems that women of that time had to dedicate their lives to writing. She was the author of novels, as well as essays, short stories and other genres such as the works “Mrs. Dalloway”, “To the lighthouse”, “Orlando” and “Las Olas”.
Although she was married to fellow writer Leonard Woolf, she was the lover of writer Vita Sackville-West for approximately 10 years. She suffered from bipolar disorder and depression, a situation that led her to commit suicide in 1941 when she jumped into the River Ouse.
Gabriela Mistral (1889 – 1957)
Among the first famous writers recognized worldwide we also have the Chilean Lucila de María Godoy Alcaya, better known by her pen name Gabriela Mistral. In 1945 she received the Nobel Prize for Literature, which made her the first Ibero-American writer and the second Latin American person to receive this award.
She stood out as a poet with works such as “Lagar”, “Desolacion” and “Tala”, although she also worked as a teacher and participated in the reform of education in Mexico.
