Recitals under the stars - Part of the Benitachell Literary Festival
Women Writers of the Generation of ’26 and Male Writers of the Generation of ’27.
- When
- Tuesday 18 August 2026, 22:00
- Where
- Carrer Trinquet, Benitachell · Map
- Price
- Free
- Parking
- Parking a short walk away. There are two car parks a short walk away: the lower one on the CV-737 road and the upper one on Calle del Calvari. The old town is best explored on foot, as the streets are narrow and steep.
- Language
- This event is in English.
- Organised by
- Clasicas y Modernas, Associació Dones, The European Union of Women Marina Alta
Please check with the venue that it suits your access needs.
ENGLISH
Among the main evening events of the literature festival, Tuesday 18 August is dedicated to “Women Writers of the Generation of ’26 and Male Writers of the Generation of ’27.”
The EUWMA is delighted to participate in this event. Emma, Marion, Margaret, Mihaela and Kathleen will recite works from the following writers under the stars on a summer evening in English, Dutch and Spanish. We do hope you will join us for good company, an unforgettable summer evening of thought-provoking readings, with some traditional snacks and moscatel served afterwards.
Tuesday 18 August 22:00
Carrer Trinquet, Benitachell…
Enter via Avenida de Alicante, turn left onto Avenida de Valencia and continue to the car park next to the cemetery. Alternatively, you can come up from the golf course via the old road and park in the cemetery car park. The venue is very close by.
Here is a little about the works that will be recited, to inspire you:
Carry van Bruggen (1881-1932)
Carry van Bruggen was one of the most lucid intellectuals of the Netherlands, known for her sharp cultural criticism and her exploration of the human psyche.
Her masterpiece, the modernist novel Eva (1927), stands as an intense novel of consciousness and interior monologue.
The book traces the evolution of a young Jewish woman as she seeks to build an autonomous identity in the face of rigid social norms.
It was pioneering in addressing the tension between bodily desire, sexuality and intellectual ambition.
The protagonist rejects the moral and gender conventions of her time.
The novel also examines the conflict between the individual and the collective, or between the individual and religion.
It uses avant-garde narrative techniques to capture the flow of the character’s thoughts.
Today, Eva is still regarded as a landmark work, remarkably modern in its universality.
Emmeline Pankhurst, 1908
Emmeline was a famous British suffragette. Rejecting the more respectable methods used by other women fighting for the right to vote, she sought greater visibility for the cause. Yet in defying the gender norms of her time, she was setting aside deeply entrenched nineteenth-century ideas, above all the belief that women were delicate, demure creatures whose only proper place was the home. She was courteous, yet forceful in her struggle.
Margaret, a descendent of Emmaline Pankhurst, will read some paragraphs from her lengthy “Speech from the Dock” delivered at Bow Street Court, when she and other women stood trial for disturbing the public order. They were found guilty and imprisoned.
Miles Franklin, 1901
My Brilliant Career was written by the Australian author Miles Franklin while she was still a teenager, and was published in 1901. Set against the harshness of rural Australia, this spirited, semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of Sybylla Melvyn, a young woman of extraordinary intelligence who struggles against poverty and the narrow expectations imposed on women. In this passage, Sybylla’s youthful ambition collides with the painful realities of gender inequality, gruelling work and rural life; and yet her voice remains bold, clear-eyed and defiantly alive.
Rose Macaulay (1881-1958)
Rose was a prominent British writer of the twentieth century, celebrated for her irony, her satirical wit and her commitment to the suffrage cause. Political and social activism was central to her life, and she argued firmly for women’s votes and women’s rights at a time of profound change.
Through both her life and her work, Macaulay actively pursued an alternative to the traditional role assigned to women. She rejected the domestic roles imposed by a patriarchal society, choosing instead economic independence, intellectual singlehood and a prolific literary career.
Her book A Casual Commentary (1925) reflects the society of her time, gathering short essays full of humour and scepticism.
For an introduction to Las Sinsombrero and Sheila Blanco’s musical homage to the women poets of the Generation of ’27:
https://www.rtve.es/play/videos/las-sinsombrero/
https://open.spotify.com/album/6mjR9IKm2SGqvkTHqnbuf8
ESPAÑOL
Acompáñanos en una velada poética en homenaje a Las Sinsombrero: las escritoras, poetas, artistas y pensadoras de la Generación del 27 cuyos logros quedaron durante mucho tiempo fuera del relato cultural establecido.
Participarán tres o cuatro miembros de EUWMA, que leerán poemas seleccionados en español e inglés. Las lectoras y los poemas están en proceso de selección y se anunciarán cuando estén confirmados.
Fecha: martes 18 de agosto de 2026
Hora: 22:00
Lugar: Carrer Trinquet, El Poble Nou de Benitatxell
Organiza: Associació Dones junto con Clásicas y Modernas
Papel de EUWMA: participación con lecturas de poesía
Para conocer Las Sinsombrero y el homenaje musical de Sheila Blanco a las poetas de la Generación del 27: