Juana Manuela Gorriti
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Juana Manuela Gorriti (1818-1896) Argentine writer. Born in Salta near the Bolivian border, Gorriti came from a wealthy upper class family. Her family was among the unitarios and for political reasons, much of her family and Gorriti herself went into exile during the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas. Thus at an early age, she moved from her home in Argentina to Bolivia, where she met her future husband, Manuel Isidro Belzu. She was fifteen when she married.
In 1878, Gorriti returned to Argentina, after having lived with her husband in Peru for nine years. Numerous scandals in her life such as divorce and having a child out of wedlock did nothing to change her social status as an exceptional woman. Her life was a success and she was hailed as a famous, instructive, influential journalist in her day.
Gorriti wrote a number of novels and short stories, including "La hija del mazorquero" and "El lucero de manantial." Both of these stories are melodramic tales with a strong anti-Rosista political message. She also wrote a number of other novels and short stories. Among these is another melodramitic novel, "La oasis de la vida" written in the 1880s as an advertisement for the insurance company "La Buenos Aires": the plot is the standard "poor orphan boy can't marry his true love," but all is resolved when he finally discovers his parents had a life insurance insurance policy with company, and so he isn't quite so poor after all. This novel was indicative of the new, more expansive literary climate in Argentina at the time.
Although perhaps not as well-known as she should be, Juana Manuela Gorriti is an author not to be overlooked. Her stories are finely crafted, and not only bear witness to trends in Argentine literature of the 19th century, but are enjoyable reading in their own right.