Memories through correspondence
‘If Rilke said that a person’s homeland is their childhood, Emma Reyes’s is an eternal homeland for anyone who reads it. That childhood is now ours; it belongs to us forever.’
In 1969, the painter Emma Reyes sent her friend, the historian Hermann Arciniegas, the first of twenty-three letters describing the harsh conditions under which she spent her childhood. Her friend was deeply moved by these painful memories and decided to show the texts to Gabriel García Márquez, who encouraged Reyes to continue writing. The correspondence continued until 1997; during this time, Arciniegas managed to obtain Emma Reyes’s permission to publish the letters after her death. In a style distinguished by its honesty and the absence of any affectation, Reyes recounts the hardships of her childhood in Colombia in the early 20th century, when she and her sister were abandoned in a convent. Without self-pity, with the intelligence of an adult and the perspective of a girl, she manages to convey her feelings to the reader with precision. A realistic and inspiring account of how one can rise from dire circumstances and excel. Kirkus Reviews As we read *Memoirs by Correspondence*, we too grow up suddenly, just like Emma Reyes, and we smile. El País A marvellous text that, more than ever, is life itself. ABC Cultural
- Pages: 240
- ISBN: 978-960-572-145-9
- Publication: 2017
- Dimensions: 13.3 X 20.5
- Categories: Literature, Books, Foreign Literature
"...Emma Reyes’s heart-wrenching correspondence with the historian Hermann Arcinégas reveals not only the painful backdrop of her life but also the unparalleled, masterful power of her descriptions, which are truly moving."
– Tina Mandilara, LIFO"...She grew up confined to a convent and went on to become a famous artist, with Picasso and Diego Rivera paying tribute to her talent. The Colombian Emma Reyes achieved this thanks to her perseverance and imagination, as revealed in the fascinating *Memoirs by Correspondence*."
– Tina Mandilara, LIFOA dark, intense fairy tale, thankfully with a happy ending.
– Katerina Schina, the books’journal
"...The account of her childhood, precise, funny, terrifying, ironic—as is often the case with children’s observations—makes you smile at times, even after the harshest events have taken place."
– Despoina Zeukili, Athinorama"...Loneliness, the lack of love, poverty, deprivation, travel and displacement, the cold, emerge from the text alongside dreams and desires, the need to belong to a family, the will to live, the stubbornness of survival."
– Angela Mantziou, cityculture.gr"...In the deeply moving book *Memories by Correspondence*, Maria Palaiologou masterfully renders its exquisitely lyrical richness; Emma, like Frida, writes her autobiography through letters, organised thematically and chronologically, in which she unfolds her memories of her early, miserable years and the path that led her into the realm of her art, painting. Twenty-three letters, written between 1969 and 1997, recount a childhood of unimaginable hardship and desolation, yet also of unwavering affirmation, as is once again the case with Frida, in life: the resounding Yes! Yes! Yes! to life, a life that will be baptised in the waters of art and will ultimately shine."
– Giorgos-Ikaros Babasakis, BookpressOliver Twist, female version: The Colombian painter who lived in obscurity became famous throughout the world thanks to the retelling of her incredible life
– Marilena Astrapellou, To Vima"...The book *Memoirs by Correspondence* is a read that leaves its historical imprint crystal clear, holding the reader by Emma Reyes’s childlike hand and leading them into a dark and distant era we know little of. And like a child, she tells us her story simply and bittersweetly, and like a child, she teaches us history innocently and aptly."
– Sofia Krokida, tetartopress.gr"...Poverty and a sorrowful childhood permeate Emma Reyes’s book; although she painted still lifes and landscapes, her main subject was people, and particularly the people of the street. So much so, in fact, that her friends used to say that Emma ‘paints not with oil but with tears’. She herself described her painting as ‘silent screams’."
– Mania Zousi, Artplay.gr"...A book for those who are familiar with the work of Emma Reyes, the famous painter, but not with her life. A book for those who know only the glorious chapters of her life but do not know how much pain she endured to get there. A book also for those who have never heard a thing about her and simply want to read the letters of a woman who wished to speak of her childhood, a life that was by no means rosy, nor at all childlike. A remarkable woman who travelled the world painting. A brave woman, and fortune always favours the brave. Welcome to her world."
– Sotia Papamichail, fragilemag.gr"...As one reads the letters, one feels that Emma Reyes is growing up. The little girl, full of fear and wonder, is growing up. And as she grows up, she changes. And this change is evident in the way she views reality and in how she understands it. And although her gaze remains childlike and her memories unchanged, the girl known as Emma manages to gain a little of the courage of adults and to seek her own path."
– Georgia Souvatzis, Debop"...Her narrative is precise and crystal-clear. A clear style, free from melodramatic outbursts, prevails throughout the collection of letters. Even the harshest events are described with the pure and innocent vigour of a small child. A past ravaged by ugliness, misery, loss and abuse is recounted without emotional turmoil, only with a muffled childish lament that is often interrupted by a few laughs."
– Christos Vasmatzidis, Eφημερίδα των Συντακτών"...The inspired and realistic account of Emma’s diary will attract a wide readership and touch their hearts. Furthermore, they will bear witness to the journey towards the light of a person, a child who knew only miserable conditions and yet stood out in life. The freshness, the harshness, the sensitivity of the writing and the classic nature of the work, as well as its poetic mood, are successfully conveyed into our language through Maria Palaiologou’s translation, whilst at the same time the humanity exuded by the text indirectly criticises both the ecclesiastical establishment and the ruthless tactics of the upper social strata."
– Eumorfia Zisi, diavasame.grEmma Reyes
Emma Reyes was born in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1919. She was an artist who distinguished herself as a painter and illustrator. She grew up in extreme poverty and ran away from the orphanage for girls where she was living at the age of nineteen. Independent, she travelled wherever she could and devoted most of her life to painting and drawing, and gradually her name became particularly well known. She formed friendships with some of the most distinguished artists, writers and intellectuals of the 20th century in Europe and Latin America. She lived in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Jerusalem, Washington and Rome, before settling in Paris in 1960. In 2003, the year of her death, the French government honoured her with the prestigious title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
