When Language is the Country: The Unpublished Letters of Norah Borges to Gabriela Mistral

Abstract

In their fight to make a profession out of the artistic activity, authors of the first half of the 20th century developed multiple and various strategies. One of these main strategies consisted on making use of some specific art networks. The letters and correspondence, which played an essential role on forging these aesthetic links, are a tool of inestimable value to document those mentioned networks. Throughout the unprecedented correspondence that the painter Norah Borges (1901-1998) addressed the writer Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957), this article explores the importance that those private writings had in the shaping of the public sphere. The letters presented here are examples of the feminine artistic solidarity. These will bring to life the personal and professional relationship kept between both authors who collaborated with the purpose of legitimate and make themselves known to the public. Publishing these missives is an act of understanding of the intimate incidents that both authors had to suffer resulting in the integration of these characters in our cultural, artistic and literary history.