For Glory and Bolívar: The Remarkable Life of Manuela Sáenz, 1797-1856
Title | For Glory and Bolívar: The Remarkable Life of Manuela Sáenz, 1797-1856 |
Publication Type | Book |
Year of Publication | 2008 |
Authors | Murray, Pamela S. |
Number of Pages | 222 |
Publisher | University of Texas Press |
City | Austin |
Abstract | She was a friend, lover, and confidante of charismatic Spanish American independence hero Simón Bolívar and, after her death, a nationalist icon in her own right. Yet authors generally have chosen either to romanticize Manuela Sáenz (1797-1856) or to discount her altogether. This volume, by contrast, offers a comprehensive and clear-eyed biography of her. Based on unprecedented archival research, it paints a vivid portrait of the Quito-born "Libertadora," revealing both an exceptional figure and a flesh-and-blood person whose life broadly reflected the experiences of women during Spanish America's turbulent Age of Revolution. Already married at the time of her meeting with the famous Liberator, Sáenz abandoned her husband in order to become not only Bolívar's romantic companion, but also his official archivist, a member of his inner circle, and one of his most loyal followers. She played a central role in Spanish South America's independence drama and eventually in developments leading to the consolidation of new nations. The author closely examines Sáenz's political trajectory including her vital, often-overlooked years in exile. |
URL | https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/murglo |
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