Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648–1695) was born, raised, and died in the territory that is now Mexico. A writer, thinker and nun in colonial New Spain, she was an extraordinary Baroque poet and defender of women's education.
In ‘Hombres necios que acusáis’ she challenged the double standards imposed on women; ‘Primero sueño’ explores the limits of knowledge; and ‘Respuesta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz’ defends women's intellectual lives.
Lorena encountered her work through the Argentine education system and later introduced her to me. My sometimes messy but heartfelt free verse cannot compare to her extraordinary discipline, intellect and formal mastery.