Florbela Espanca

Vila Viçosa, Portugal - Region of Alentejo

Florbela Espanca, a Portuguese poet and writer, was born in Vila Viçosa on December 8, 1894.  She was a woman ahead of her time as she was one of the first women in Portugal to go to high school, attending an all boys school in Évora (Alentejo).  She also went on to complete a literature degree in 1917 and was then one of the first women to enroll at the Law School of the University of Lisbon.  Florbela Estanca lived a difficult life losing her mother at a very young age as well as her brother in a plane accident years later.  She married three times and was never able to have children.  Florbela Espanca died on her 36th birthday.  Her life is reflected in a number of books containing poetry, short stories and letters published before and after her death.  

This picture shows a bust of the writer with the castle of Vila Viçosa in the background.