Matute, Ana Maria (1926–)

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Matute, Ana Maria (1926–)

Spanish novelist. Name variations: Ana María Matute Ausejo. Born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1926; m. Ramón Eugenio de Goicoechea, in 1954 (div. 1963); children: Juan Pablo (b. 1956).

Important novelist of the post-Civil War era, completed Pequeño teatro as a teenager (1943), which she later revised and published (1954); published 1st novel Los Abel (1948), exploring the conflict between Cain and Abel, to understand Spain following the Civil War; wrote prolifically, publishing novels, short stories, and children's books, and her trilogy, Los Mercaderes, received acclaim both at home and abroad, as did Olvidado Rey Gudu (1974). Won Spain's most prestigious literary awards, including the Nadal Prize and the Cervantes National Literature Prize.

See also Janet Winecoff Díaz, Ana María Matute (Twayne, 1971); Margaret. E.W. Jones, The Literary World of Ana Maria Matute (1970); and Women in World History.