Lesbian Realities/Lesbian Fictions in Contemporary Spain, edited by Nancy Vosburg and Jacky Collins, focuses exclusively on manifestations of lesbian cultures and identities in contemporary Spain. Bringing together key essays from a range of international scholars, this anthology of critical essays examines the changing cultural, sociological and political landscape of Spain at the turn of the millennium. Divided into two sections, the first contributions focus on the realities of lesbian lives and looks at how Spanish lesbian identities are constructed through language and the media. The essays in the second section analyze contemporary lesbian identities as manifested in novels and short stories published since the late 1980s by authors such as Carme Riera, Lola van Guardia, Flavia Company and Mabel Galan. The aim of this volume is to provide a significant and coherent contribution in English to the body of knowledge within an evolving subject area that has remained relatively under-researched until recently. Throughout the anthology, the visibility of the lesbian subject in Spain, either within the media, literature, the Parliament, and even within the gay book-publishing industry, emerges as a key concept for analyzing the status of lesbians in Spanish society. All essays in our volume are original, previously unpublished works written specifically for this volume by contributors who have been involved in researching or developing lesbian cultures in Spain. Lesbian Realities/Fictions in Contemporary Spain brings knowledge into the public domain that hitherto has remained hidden, and provides access to an audience interested in social and cultural change in Spain and yet who are unable to access material in Spanish. It is a particularly invaluable resource for teachers and students of Spanish cultural studies, global sexuality, and gender studies.
