Florbela Espanca
Florbela Espanca was a notable Portuguese poet and writer, born in Vila Viçosa in 1894. As an illegitimate child, she faced early challenges, particularly after her mother's passing in 1908, leading her to live with a family that welcomed her as one of their own. Espanca defied societal norms by pursuing education during a time when few women had access to it, eventually becoming the first Portuguese woman to enroll in a law degree program at the University of Lisbon. Throughout her life, she experienced personal tragedies, including multiple miscarriages and the loss of her brother, which deeply impacted her mental health and inspired her literary work.
Despite her struggles, Espanca produced significant poetry, although much of her work was published posthumously. She is remembered as a romantic and feminist voice who explored the complexities of a woman’s desires against the backdrop of societal expectations. Her most acclaimed work, "Charneca em flor," was published in 1931, shortly after her untimely death at the age of thirty-six. Today, Espanca’s contributions to literature are celebrated for their emotional depth and their challenge to the norms of her time.
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Subject Terms
Florbela Espanca
Poet
- Born: December 8, 1894
- Birthplace: Vila Viçosa, Portugal
- Died: December 8, 1930
Biography
Florbela Espanca was born in Vila Viçosa, Portugal, an illegitimate daughter of a maid. After the death of her mother in 1908, Espanca went to live with João Espanca and his wife Maria. She was treated by the Espancas as one of their children. At a time when few young girls were able to attend school, Espanca started high school in Evora. After high school, she became a tutor, teaching English, French, and other subjects. At the age of nineteen, she was married to Alberto Moutinho. In 1917, Espanca entered law school at the University of Lisbon; she was the first Portuguese woman to pursue a law degree. In 1919, Espanca suffered a miscarriage, and her first work, titled Livro de mágoas (the book of sorrows), was published. Around the same time, she began to exhibit symptoms of mental illness. In 1921, Espanca divorced her first husband, and act that exposed her to considerable social prejudice. In 1923, Espanca married her second husband, Antonio Guimares. Her second work, Livro de soror saudade, was published in the same year. After suffering another miscarriage, Espanca initiated divorce proceedings against her second husband. In 1925, she was married for the third time. Her last husband was Mrio Lage. In 1927, Espanca’s brother, Apeles, was killed in an airplane crash. She was profoundly affected by this event, and she was inspired to write As mascaras do destino (the masks of destiny). By 1930, Espanca was in despair, and she attempted suicide in October and November of that year. She was also diagnosed with pulmonary edema. Espanca died in December, 1930, on her thirty-sixth birthday. The cause of her death remains unclear. Her greatest work, Charneca em flor was posthumously published in 1931. Unfortunately, few of Espannca’s writings were published during her lifetime. She is remembered as a romantic yet feminist poet who expressed the dichotomy between a woman and her passions and the influence of the social mores of her time.
