The Living Metaphor: Feminine Image and Social Poetry in Ángela Figuera Aymerich

Abstract

It is proposed to study the poetry of Ángela Figuera Aymerich (Bilbao, 1902-1984), an original and scarcely explored voice of the Spanish postwar period. In his poetry, topics of commitment linked to social poetry are discussed at their height in the moment of writing, with images and themes that convey testimonial affection through an eminently feminine perspective. Maternity, sexuality, the body, among others, are questions that vertebran his poetry since his first books and, however, have not been studied on the map of post-Bélic poetic discourses. In contrast, many critics or anthologies of the period omit some singularities, focusing on sections of his work that set aside gender questions. Here, it is proposed to approach its production seeking to highlight strategies, tones, topics, etc. which configures a female identity self-representation, establishing dialogues/contrasts with the predictable social role in the strongly patriarchal and ultra-catholic map of Francoism.