The three marias: new portuguese letters

A remarkable book with a remarkable back story. First, you must know that this book was inspired by the Letters of a Portuguese Nun , a famous collection of love letters published in the 17th century and allegedly written by Marianna Alcoforado, but now commonly believed to have been written by the (male) publisher in Paris. Hence the actual title of this book: New Portuguese Letters In 1971, while still under the rule of the fascist Salazar regime, three brave Portuguese women (aka, "The Three Marias") wrote this collaborative work, using the original Portuguese Letters as a springboard. They did not limit themselves to any one genre, and so the book is an almost post-modern collage of fiction, personal letters, poetry, and feminist manifesto. Nor did they sign any of the individual contributions, which are simply dated and arranged chronologically. Their writing is lyrical, fierce, intelligent, passionate, erotic, and often strikingly beautiful and powerful. Yes, some of it is definitely "of its time." But overall it holds up incredibly well, and those who appreciate the work of Susan Griffin, Monique Wittig, Adrienne Rich, or Jeanette Winterson will find much to love here.