Carmen Lyra

Carmen Lyra:

Maria Isabel Carvajal was a Costa Rican writer who was born in 1888 and died on May 13, 1949. One famous writer called her the “Daughter of the Love” because her mother was single, aspect unprecedented in the XIX century. She wrote under the name of “Carmen Lyra”, this pseudonym comes from the name of two important streets in Chile, where she lived for a couple years.

When she finished her studies in education, she worked in a rural Kindergarten called “El Monte” (The Mountain) then in 1906, she worked in a famous hospital in Costa Rica.

In 1914 during the First World War, she assumed leadership of a Journal when published politic articles and short stories for kids. In 1919 she helped organize women schoolteachers to burn down the building of the official newspaper and to overthrow the dictatorship of Federico Tinoco.

Her first publication was the novel “En una silla de ruedas” (In a wheelchair), 1918. It is characterized for a poetic version and a sentimental Costumbrismo (name of a literacy’s genre based in local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs.)

In 1920 Carmen Lyra wrote her most famous books in a collection called “Cuentos de mi tia Panchita” (Story of my aunt Panchita) in 1920. This short stories are very famous in the children and even nowadays are been using in the Costa Rican schools.

In 1920’s Carmen traveled to Europe and learned about the new educational system, after that, she works for different kindergartens in the country. However, she felt that needed some different and fight for the social ideas that she believes. For this reason, she

translated the Communism Manifiesto into Spanish in 1920 and become a member of the Communism party of Costa Rica.

In 1934 Carvajal went on to take a leading role in the babana workers strike. Duri

ng this time wrote “Hombres y Bananos” (Bananas and Men). In 1948 after the Costa Rica Civil War, she was exiled in Mexico when she died in 1949.

In 1976, the Congress of Costa Rica declared her “Meritorious of the homeland” for her contribution to the literature and the social justice.

Maria Isabel Carvajal or Carmen Lyra becomes one of the most famous writers and a teachers in Costa Rica. Personally I really admire all her contribution for my country especially in the 1940’s but also I have the conviction that she is part of my ancestors because she had the same last name and her first kindergarten was in the little town when I grew up, also when I look her picture is like seeing my grandmother’s picture, but in any case, she is part of my family for her liberal ideas.