María Elena Wood, Maja Horn and Nara Milanich on Madwomen

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 U.S. Premiere of Madwomen took place at Barnard College and was 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 video includes the introductory remarks by Elizabeth Castelli, Paula Pacheco, and María Elena Wood, as well as the post-film discussion.

This event was co-sponsored by The Barnard Center for Research on Women and Columbia Global Centers / Latin America in Santiago.