The novel of the first Miss Mexico and “black widow” won Ana Romero the III Historical Novel Prize

On the morning of the last day of February 2023, in Mexico City, the jury of III Prize for the Historical Novel Cloister of Sor Juana / Grijalbo ruled in favor of the novel “Sad Venus”, written by mexican Ana Romero. A story that recounts the glory years and the decline of Maria Teresa Landaa mexican beauty queen turned “Black Widow” and the last person to be put to an oral trial in Aztec territory.

The jury for this prize was made up of writers monica lavine there Eduardo Antonio Parrain collaboration with the publisher Andres Ramirezresponsible for choosing the story of Romeroamong others 72 works sent to the competitionnm

In the ruling, revealed at a press conference at Sor Juana Cloister Universitythe jury underlined the qualities of the novel and the resonances of Maria Teresa Landa.

“The prize was awarded for presenting the rise and fall of a woman in the last century, combining resources and sources to make it a central element of the plot. With a fresh style, humor and l ‘ironically, it invites us to reflect on the evolution of women in Mexico over the past 100 years’, thus the awards ceremony, read by Andres Ramirez.

The writer shared that his novel tells the life and the most media episode of the first Miss Mexico (María Teresa Landa), a woman who decided to murder her husband, a crime for which she was acquitted.

In the novel, Romero evokes the figure of a woman cataloged as a model, under the poetic action of a Venusbut also a woman who, like Minervawas endowed with a great intellectual.

“A maria teresa I love him very much and for a long time. His story is a spider’s web that gets more and more entangled, and that’s what I tried to do with the novel. It’s a tiny and representative story of this female struggle for daily survival, how female spaces were gradually won,” she shared. Ana Romero at the price

This is the first time that a text written by a woman has won this recognition. The work was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Spider Without Web”a title with which the author has sought to represent the myth that has been woven around the figure of its protagonist as “Black Widow”.

In the presentation, the author of “Sad Venus” revealed that this is his first “adult soap opera”since he focused on children’s literature.

In previous editions, Mexican writers Nacho Casas there Mario Heredia were the winners of Cloister of Sor Juana / Grijalbo Historical Novel Prize; NOW, Ana Romero is the third winner, which earned her an economic remuneration of 150,000 Mexican pesos, the José López Portillo y Rojas Medal and the publication of the novel at the end of the year (November) under the label grijalboas shared Andres Ramirez (Penguin Random House).

At just 18 years old, Maria Teresa Landa became, in May 1928, the winner of the first competition aimed at crowning the most beautiful woman in mexicowon the admiration of the public not only for her beauty, conforming to the canons of the time, but also for being a graduate of the Normal school and, despite his young age, studies odontology.

As Miss Mexico participated in an international competition Galveston, Texaswhere he managed to reach runner-up positions.

He received many job offers abroad, but Landa decided to refuse them because she had other plans for her return to Mexico, accompanied by Moises Vidalwho marry him September 24, 1928; However, barely a year later, Vidal was allegedly discovered in adultery, in the Landa discussion sparked a Smith & Wesson caliber 44 and I kill him.

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