Dolores - Soledad Acosta de Samper E-Book

Soledad Acosta De Samper

• Herausgeber: Lebooks Editora
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Women Writers of the World
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 98

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Dolores: The Story of a Leper by Soledad Acosta de Samper is a poignant exploration of social exclusion, suffering, and resilience. The novel follows Dolores, a woman who contracts leprosy and is subsequently cast out by society, forced to navigate both physical and emotional isolation. Through Dolores's story, Acosta de Samper critiques the rigid moral and social structures of her time, shedding light on the stigmatization of illness and the vulnerability of marginalized individuals. Since its publication, Dolores: The Story of a Leper has been recognized for its profound social commentary and emotional depth. The novel examines themes of injustice, human dignity, and the strength required to endure suffering. Acosta de Samper's narrative style and compassionate portrayal of her protagonist have cemented the novel's place as a significant work in Latin American literature. Its lasting relevance lies in its ability to challenge societal perceptions of illness, morality, and compassion. Dolores: The Story of a Leper remains a powerful reflection on exclusion and the resilience of the human spirit, inviting readers to question the prejudices that shape their communities.  

Leseprobe

Soledad Acosta de Samper

DOLORES: THE STORY OF A LEPER

Contents

INTRODUCTION

DOLORES: THE STORY OF A LEPER

FIRST PART

SECOND PART

THIRD PART

INTRODUCTION

Soledad Acosta de Samper

1833 – 1913

Soledad Acosta de Samper was a Colombian writer, journalist, and historian, widely regarded as one of the most important female intellectuals of 19th-century Latin America. Born in Bogotá, she was a prolific author whose works addressed themes such as national identity, gender roles, and historical narratives. She was a pioneer in advocating for women’s education and rights through her literary and journalistic contributions.

Early Life and Education

Soledad Acosta de Samper was born into an educated and politically influential family. Her father, Joaquín Acosta, was a historian and geographer, which significantly influenced her intellectual development. She received a privileged education, including time spent in France, where she was exposed to European literature and historical thought. This background shaped her literary and journalistic career, as she sought to blend historical analysis with contemporary social issues.

Career and Contributions

Acosta de Samper wrote extensively, producing novels, essays, biographies, and historical works. Her novels often focused on the role of women in Colombian society, advocating for their intellectual and social advancement. Among her most notable works is La mujer en la sociedad moderna (1895), in which she examined the changing role of women in modern society and argued for greater educational opportunities.

In addition to fiction, she was a prolific journalist, contributing to and founding various publications. She wrote for newspapers and magazines, addressing political, historical, and cultural issues. As an editor of La Mujer, a magazine dedicated to women's issues, she played a crucial role in promoting feminist ideas in Colombia.

Acosta de Samper also wrote historical narratives that sought to construct a national identity through literature. Her historical essays and biographies highlighted key figures in Colombian and Latin American history, providing a perspective that often included the overlooked contributions of women.

Impact and Legacy

Soledad Acosta de Samper was a trailblazer in Latin American literature and journalism, standing out in a field dominated by men. Her advocacy for women's rights and education, combined with her literary achievements, positioned her as a key figure in Colombian intellectual history.

Her work influenced future generations of female writers and scholars, and her contributions to historical literature remain valuable sources for understanding Colombia’s past. While her impact was not fully recognized during her lifetime, today she is acknowledged as a fundamental figure in the development of Colombian literature and feminist thought.

Acosta de Samper passed away in 1913, leaving behind a vast body of work that continues to be studied and appreciated. Although she faced societal barriers as a female intellectual, her writings paved the way for future discussions on gender equality and national identity in Latin America.

Her literary and historical contributions remain relevant, and her role as a pioneering journalist and writer ensures her lasting influence in the cultural and intellectual landscape of Colombia

About the work

Dolores: The Story of a Leper by Soledad Acosta de Samper is a poignant exploration of social exclusion, suffering, and resilience. The novel follows Dolores, a woman who contracts leprosy and is subsequently cast out by society, forced to navigate both physical and emotional isolation. Through Dolores’s story, Acosta de Samper critiques the rigid moral and social structures of her time, shedding light on the stigmatization of illness and the vulnerability of marginalized individuals.

Since its publication, Dolores: The Story of a Leper has been recognized for its profound social commentary and emotional depth. The novel examines themes of injustice, human dignity, and the strength required to endure suffering. Acosta de Samper’s narrative style and compassionate portrayal of her protagonist have cemented the novel’s place as a significant work in Latin American literature.

Its lasting relevance lies in its ability to challenge societal perceptions of illness, morality, and compassion. Dolores: The Story of a Leper remains a powerful reflection on exclusion and the resilience of the human spirit, inviting readers to question the prejudices that shape their communities.

DOLORES: THE STORY OF A LEPER

FIRST PART

"What a pretty girl!” exclaimed Antonio, on seeing a group on horseback passing the square in the village of N1, just then arrived to take part in the annual fiesta appointed for the following day.

Antonio Gonzales had been a fellow-student and my especial friend at the university, where we both obtained the degree of Doctor. When we parted he promised to visit me at the annual festival of our village, and accordingly had arrived the day before. Looking for amusement — and youth finds it in everything — we were occupied in assisting to erect barriers in the square * for the bullfight, to take place the next day, when, as I said before, there passed a party on horseback, among whom was my cousin. Dolores, whose slender figure and pure white complexion likened and could only be compared with a native lily, the most graceful and beautiful wild-flower of the district.

“What I especially admire,” observed Antonio, “is her complexion, so purely white and delicate, a perfection rarely to be found under our burning sun; to which her dark tresses, sparkling black eyes, and coral lips present a charming contrast.”

“You are right,” exclaimed my father, who was standing near us; her complexion is foreign to our climate,” and adding, with some emotion, “my God! I never thought of it before.”

At the time, neither Antonio nor I understood the exclamation of the old gentleman, which appeared to us extraordinary and uncalled for. My father was the physician of the village and district, and would have been anywhere honored for his practical science and wide-spread charity. Contrary to the custom of parents generally, he desired that I should study medicine, in the hope, as he expressed himself, that I might one day not only rival, but excel himself in knowledge of the profession. An only son, flattered by my father, and the pet of a numerous family, I felt confident and happy in my lot, especially as I was then at home to arrange some matters of business previous to my marriage with a young lady in Bogota, to whom I was engaged and had long loved. Of all my relations I was most attached to my aunt Juana, who, from the death of my mother, had protected my childhood. Dolores, daughter of a deceased sister, having lost both father and mother, had also lived with her for many years, and aunt Juana, having no children of her own, divided her affections between her niece and nephew. We had hardly arrived at an age to think upon the subject, when it became palpable both to Dolores and myself that our union was a cherished object of our aunt; but human nature often prefers the difficult to a beaten path, and it became tacitly understood between us, that our attachment should be purely fraternal; and I think that a desire to render our union a thing impossible had its influence in inducing me, while still a student in college, to engage myself in Bogota. Considering then Dolores as a sister, from my first entrance into college I wrote to her frequently, recounting the incidents and accidents of my college life, and afterwards of my engagement, my prospects, and all my hopes and happiness: this short explanation is necessary to comprehend the relation that existed between us.

After remaining for some time in the plaza, assisting the workmen, Antonio and I returned to my father’s, whose house was situated a short distance from the village; but as the fiesta was to commence with fireworks in the evening, an amusement popular with all classes, we proposed to return in time to see them. The evening was delightful; the moon, nearly full, shed a silvery light over all the country; a warm, delicious zephyr fanned the trees, wafting the perfume of innumerable flowers; the smaller birds, disturbed by the light, were heard in gentle murmurs, while the philosophic owl, usually taciturn, and never attractive, sent forth his hoarse and ominous complaint. Having time to spare, we took a circuitous path that led across the main road, and leading to an opposite point in the village. Sauntering on, conversing gayly and pleasantly on our future prospects in life — for to youth everything is hope fid — we arrived in good time. Antonio had selected the arduous but brilliant profession of the law, which, from his talent and natural eloquence, promised him a distinguished future. I proposed, after a few years of study and practice under a physician of reputation and experience, to marry, and settle in my native village, for so I still call it, although we have now all the paraphernalia of a great city, — a mayor and corporation, justices, judges, and local taxes, and other mortal troubles. We are like a poor country-woman who has gone all her life barefoot, with short petticoats, being put into tight boots, stays, and crinoline.

As we approached the village the silence of the country changed to boisterous hilarity, singing with bandolas at the top of the voice, with vivas of the men, loud cries and laughs of the women, when a rocket announced that the fireworks were about to begin. The plaza or square (to be found in most Spanish villages) presented a merry sight. In the middle of the enclosure for the bull-fight of the following day, various pieces had been collected, consisting of rockets, wheels, serpents, Roman candles, and castles of fireworks, which, once begun, continued to fire away until all was consumed. For the time, the manufacturer or director of the show was the greatest man in the place. All the children followed him in admiration of his science, anxiously listening to the orders given to his assistants, as to the order and manner of lighting the castles and wheels and firing the rockets. Antonio and I went directly to the house of Aunt Juana, the best in the town, and situate on the square.