Sáenz Alonso, Mercedes

b. 1917, San Sebastián

   Writer

   As professor at the University of Navarre, critic and essayist, Sáenz produced voluminous essays including Don Juan y el donjuanismo (Don Juan and Donjuanism) (1969), studies on renaissance poetry, witchcraft and the Spanish novel. Her novels often portray the horrors and destruction of war, as in Bajos fondos (The Depths) (1949) and its sequel, Altas esferas (Upper Sphere) (1949), both set in London around WWI. El tiempo que se fue (Time Now Past) (1951), with greater autobiographical substrata, studies the role of war in the decline of a noble Basque family. Loss of family and spiritual values likewise inspire La pequeña ciudad (Small Town) (1952).

   Further reading

   - Pérez, J. (1988) Contemporary Women Writers of Spain, Boston, MA: G.K.Hall (contains a brief overview of her life and works).

   JANET PÉREZ