This astonishing memoir of a childhood lived in extreme poverty in Latin America was hailed as an instant classic when first published in Colombia in 2012, nine years after the death of its author, who was encouraged in her writing by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Comprised of letters written over the course of thirty years, it describes in vivid, painterly detail the remarkable courage and limitless imagination of a young girl growing up with nothing. Emma was an illegitimate child, raised in a windowless room in Bogota with no water or toilet and only ingenuity to keep her and her sister alive. Abandoned by their mother, she and her sister moved to a convent housing 150 orphan girls, where they washed pots, ironed and mended laundry, scrubbed floors, cleaned bathrooms, and sewed garments and decorative cloths for church. Illiterate and knowing nothing of the outside world, Emma escaped at age nineteen, eventually coming to have a career as an artist and to befriend the likes of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Far from self-pitying, the portrait that emerges from this clear-eyed account inspires awe at the stunning early life of a gifted writer whose talent remained hidden for far too long.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Orion Publishing Co
ISBN-13
9781474606608
eBay Product ID (ePID)
238175916
Product Key Features
Book Title
The Book of EMMA Reyes: a Memoir in Correspondence
Author
EMMA Reyes
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Memorials, Books
Publication Year
2017
Number of Pages
192 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
216mm
Item Width
137mm
Item Weight
214g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
EMMA Reyes
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom
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