Journalist Valeria Vegas builds in this beautiful book an emotional, entertaining portrait full of surprises and anecdotes about the main women who, over the last century, against all odds, have shaped one of our essential marks of identity, flamenco folklore.
They are the voice of our musical culture, they traveled the world spreading Spanish culture and lived whirlwind lives in difficult times, brave, talented and... so flamenco.
Questioned, undervalued and often unfairly forgotten, our folkloric women are of volcanic nature, who sang and lived love and drama like no one else. Their stories, in times when being female was no advantage, show that they were shrewd, that they managed to control their lives and get ahead of their times while building our most international cultural legacy, becoming some true stars of cinema and music, and mingling with the great intellectual figures of their era.
Flamenco folklore has been disparaged for decades for its apparent closeness to the Regime and its certain musty air, yet through the history of its leading women from the early twentieth century to today, journalist Valeria Vegas seeks to do justice and show how much we owe to all of them and how brave they were. Through the sharp insight and the ironic yet affectionate gaze of its author, we will learn the anecdotes, curiosities and everything that made that unique and pioneering breed of women so special who, for better or worse, whether we like it or not, are our heritage and our culture, our history and our hallmark.
"This is not a manual for flamencologists, purists or scholars, who might from the outset question the vindication of some of them, but rather a review of the life and work of twenty-seven women who stood out in the copla and national folklore. They were the soundtrack of a changing country, in constant transformation, reflecting the rawest emotions and the most passionate feelings. The figure of the folkloric woman reaches us today in the form of an emoji and a fridge magnet, as clear proof of her impact on the collective imagination. A hallmark of a Spain that recognized itself in them, they were also the unavoidable appointment for any discerning foreigner passing through here. And if not, they went to the country in question to show their talent, and as one said, 'to spread Spanish culture around the world.' Backed by sharp lyricists and composers, they performed with passion songs about heartbreak, secret affairs, incurable sorrows, unspeakable secrets and various torments. They also delighted audiences with playful songs that ironized on singleness, age, marriage or women's freedom. In short, they gave voice and attitude to what many people thought, dreamed or wished for, and those women, many of humble origin and sometimes nearly illiterate, proved to have the talent needed for evocation, in the difficult art of storytelling." – Valeria Vegas
