Mercedes Pinto

Mercedes Pinto was born in La Laguna in 1883 and quickly distinguished herself as a writer and speaker committed to the cause of women. In the Spain of the 1920s, her public defence of divorce and her critique of marital abuse were considered scandalous. In 1924, the dictator Primo de Rivera expelled her from the country for her progressive ideas. A long exile followed, taking her to Uruguay, Cuba, and finally Mexico, where she would spend the rest of her life.

Her novel Él, published in 1926, is her most important work. It portrays with unflinching clarity the psychological deterioration of a marital relationship dominated by jealousy and control. The book gained international resonance decades after its publication when Luis Buñuel adapted it to film under the same title in 1953, producing one of the most acclaimed works of the Mexican-Spanish director's career.

Mercedes Pinto died in Mexico City in 1976 at the age of ninety-two, without having received in her lifetime the recognition she deserved. Her legacy has been steadily reclaimed as that of a pioneer of Hispanic feminism and an author whose personal courage was always equal to her literary talent.