The Censorship of a Closeted Spain: The Case of Elena Fortun (1886-1952)

This article focuses on how self-censorship and state censorship have shaped the literary legacy of the Spanish author of children's books, Elena Fortun. The homosexual closet is presented as a key concept for understanding the impact of censorship on the work of a lesbian writer such as Fortun who has contributed to various narratives of Spanish femininity over the course of almost a century. The first of these is the narrative of gender dissidence during the Second Republic (1931-1939); followed by the narrative of the wife and mother belonging to the Franco Regime (1939-1975); and finally the LGBTQ inclusiveness of the new millennium in Spain (2005-2022). The works included in the analysis are varied, spanning from Fortun's children's books to her correspondence and finally two posthumously published novels. This reading of Fortun's texts reveals how censorship works as a controlling gaze that not only operates from the outside, but is also internalized in the individual, maintaining the doors of the homosexual closet closed from the inside.

Automated summary

This article explores the impact of self-censorship and state censorship on the literary legacy of children's book author Elena Fortun from Spain. The concept of the homosexual closet is used to understand how censorship influenced Fortun's work as a lesbian writer contributing to various narratives of Spanish femininity over the past century. The analysis includes Fortun's children's books, correspondence, and two posthumously published novels. It reveals how censorship functions as a controlling gaze both from external forces and internalized in individuals, keeping the doors of the homosexual closet closed.