María Dueñas (writer)

For the musician, see María Dueñas (violinist).
María Dueñas
María Dueñas at Gothenburg book fair 2014.
Born1964
Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Spain
OccupationNovelist, professor
NationalitySpanish
GenreHistorical novel
Website
www.mariaduenas.es
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Dueñas and the second or maternal family name is Vinuesa.

María Dueñas Vinuesa (1964) is a Spanish writer and professor. She rose to fame in 2009 with El tiempo entre costuras, her first novel, which became one of the best-selling works of Spanish literature in recent years and has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.[1] She is particularly known for her historical novels set during periods of Spanish and international conflict, including the Spanish Civil War and World War II, often featuring strong female protagonists navigating personal and political upheaval. Her debut novel was adapted into a highly successful television series that premiered in 2013 on Antena 3 and was dubbed by media as the "Spanish Downton Abbey" due to its critical and popular acclaim.[2][3] After spending two decades as a professor of English Philology at the University of Murcia, she transitioned to full-time writing and has since become one of Spain's most internationally recognized contemporary authors, with her works selling millions of copies worldwide. [4][5][6]

Life

María Dueñas Vinuesa was born in Puertollano in 1964.[7] She earned a licentiate degree in English Philology from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) in 1987 and a Master of Arts in Romance and Classical Languages from Michigan State University (MSU) in 1989.[8] She moved to Cartagena in the 1990s.[9] While preparing for her doctoral degree, she worked as teacher at the Military Base of Los Alcázares.[7] She earned a position as senior lecturer at the University of Murcia, where she worked for around two decades.[9] She earned her PhD in English Philology from the University of Murcia in 1997.[8]

Dueñas came into the spotlight in 2009, achieving great success in Spain thanks to her first novel, El tiempo entre costuras, published in English as The Time in Between, and The Seamstress, a historical espionage novel, which sold more than a million copies. It has already been translated into more than 25 different languages.[10] The novel also won a number of literary awards such as the Historical Novel Award from the City of Cartagena and the 2011 Culture Award for Literature. It was adapted for television as a same-titled series, produced by the Spanish television network Antena 3. El tiempo entre costuras revolves around the figure of Sira Quiroga, a seamstress who moves to Morocco with her boyfriend right before the uprising that would lead to the Spanish Civil War. There, after many setbacks, she opens her own sewing workshop.

Dueñas had great success again in 2012 when she published her second novel, Misión Olvido, published in English as The Heart Has Its Reasons. This time the setting goes back and forth between the Spanish missions in California and contemporary Spain. Misión Olvido reached its fifth edition on January 25, 2013 with over half a million copies sold and was awarded the Culture Award for Literature by the Madrid region.[11]

Her third novel, La Templanza, set in 19th century Mexico City, Havana and Jerez de la Frontera, was released in Spain on 17 March 2015.[12] Following the success of the television adaptation of El tiempo entre costuras, Atresmedia announced the production of a television series based on La Templanza.[13] The series, The Vineyard, was released in 2021 by Amazon Prime Video.[6]

In 2018, Dueñas' fourth novel, Las hijas del Capitán was published. The novel is set in early 20th century New York City and focuses on the Spanish immigrants living in the city.[14]

Published works

  • The Time in Between or The Seamstress (El tiempo entre costuras) (2009)
  • The Heart Has Its Reasons (Misión Olvido) (2012)
  • The Vineyard or A Vineyard in Andalusia (La templanza) (2015)
  • Las hijas del Capitán (2018)
  • Sira (2021)

References

  1. ^ Economía, E. F. E. (May 5, 2014). "María Dueñas defiende el elemento del humor en la novela". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Time in Between: "Spanish Downton Abbey" Arrives in US". The Euro TV Place. July 30, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  3. ^ "Novels Inspired by the Spanish Civil War". Goodreads. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  4. ^ "Maria Duenas". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved May 25, 2025. After two decades in academia, she broke onto the literary scene in 2009
  5. ^ "Maria Duenas Book & Series List". FictionDB. Retrieved May 25, 2025. novels have sold over 6 million copies worldwide
  6. ^ a b "'La templanza' y 'El Cid' son las nuevas series originales españolas de Amazon". FormulaTV. February 13, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Álvarez, Inés (April 23, 2021). "María Dueñas: 10 cosas que has de saber de la autora más vendida de Sant Jordi". El Periódico.
  8. ^ a b "La Asociación Cultura y Mujer entregará el VIII Premio Mujer a María Dueñas". La Verdad. October 26, 2011.
  9. ^ a b Ganuza, Asier (June 27, 2021). "María Dueñas: embajadora por sorpresa". La Opinión de Murcia.
  10. ^ Economía, E. F. E. (May 5, 2014). "La escritora española María Dueñas defiende el elemento del humor en la novela". El País – via elpais.com.
  11. ^ EuropaPress (06 de noviembre de 2012). "Premios de Cultura de la Comunidad de Madrid". Consultado el 06 de noviembre de 2012. (in Spanish)
  12. ^ "Entrevista a María Dueñas: "He escrito una novela con alma de novela, no de película o serie"". March 29, 2015.
  13. ^ "Atresmedia Televisión adaptará la novela 'La templanza'". Antena 3.
  14. ^ "'Las hijas del capitán', la nueva novela de María Dueñas llega a librerías el 12 de abril". El Confidencial. February 22, 2018.
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