Latin American Women Writers: An Encyclopedia presents the lives and critical works of over 170 women writers in Latin America between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries. This features thematic entries as well as biographies of female writers whose works were originally published in Spanish or Portuguese, and who have had an impact on literary, political, and social studies. Focusing on drama, poetry, and fiction, this work includes authors who have published at least three literary texts that have had a significant impact on Latin American literature and culture. Each entry is followed by extensive bibliographic references, including primary and secondary sources. Coverage consists of critical appreciation and analysis of the writers' works. Brief biographical data is included, but the main focus is on the meanings and contexts of the works as well as their cultural and political impact. In addition to author entries, other themes are explored, such as humor in contemporary Latin American fiction, lesbian literature in Latin America, magic, realism, or mother images in Latin American literature. The aim is to provide a unique, thorough, scholarly survey of women writers and their works in Latin America. This Encyclopedia will be of interest to both to the student of literature as well as to any reader interested in understanding more about Latin American culture, literature, and how women have represented gender and national issues throughout the centuries.

The result of a collaboration among eight women scholars, this collection examines the history of women’s participation in literary, journalistic, educational, and political activity in Latin American history, with special attention to the first half of this century.

The countries of Spanish America have a history of women's literature that is full, varied, and, until now, undocumented in English. The largest collection of its kind, this annotated bio-bibliographical guide lists over one thousand authors and their works, with selected introductory annotations for the better known authors. Included are fictional works dealing primarily with women, women's literature, feminism, and the condition of women, with a separate index of anthologies.

This major bibliographic work reflects the significant interest in Latin American literature as a creative force in the world today. Rela who has provided Latin American bibliography with many ground-breaking contributions, has created a single, comprehensive reference work for serious scholarship on Latin American literature with sources through 1986. Among the criteria used to determine which authors and works would be included are originality, critical appraisal, and the interest the work held for professors, researchers, and students. The works are divided into general sections; each section is broken down by country and by genre (poetry, prose fiction, drama, essay) and annotations are provided for many works. The book concludes with an author index.