Born in Logroño in 1903, María Teresa León was a writer, essayist, playwright, and cultural activist deeply committed to social justice, feminism, and the republican cause. Associated with the Generation of '27, she was part of the group of intellectuals known as "Las Sinsombrero," along with figures such as María Zambrano, Rosa Chacel, and Maruja Mallo, who challenged the social norms of their time to vindicate the role of women in Spanish cultural and political life. She began her literary career under the pseudonym Isabel Inghirami and in 1929 published her first book, Cuentos para soñar (Stories to Dream). During this time, she met the poet Rafael Alberti, with whom she shared a life, political commitment, and exile. Together, they founded the magazine Octubre, a militant publication serving revolutionary culture. During the Civil War, León stood out for her work preserving artistic heritage—particularly as head of the Board for the Protection of Artistic Treasures—and after the Republican defeat, she embarked on a long and painful exile that took her to France, Argentina, and Italy.
