In 1946, upon her return from receiving the Nobel Prize, Gabriela Mistral met New Yorker Doris Dana, BC ’44, at a lecture in Milbank Hall. Mistral was a poet, educator, and diplomat, revered in her native Chile. Yet plagued by gossip about her sexuality and the devastating loss of her only son, she spent most of her later life outside of Chile, and in her final years, settled with Dana on Long Island, where her companion recorded many of their conversations. Out of these recordings comes Madwomen, which follows the mysterious story of the last years of Mistral’s life, her burgeoning friendship with Dana, and her captivating later work.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film’s director María Elena Wood, Maja Horn (Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American Cultures, Barnard) and Nara Milanich (Associate Professor of History, Barnard).

This event is part of BCRW’s Transnational Feminisms Initiative.

This event is co-sponsored by Columbia Global Centers / Latin America in Santiago.

More from this event:

• VIDEO: U.S. Premiere of Madwomen