Hermandad Lírica

The Hermandad Lírica (Lyrical Sisterhood) was the name given to a group of 19th century Spanish Romantic women poets who congregated and gave each other mutual support.

The group gave the women a needed outlet from the inherent sexism of Spanish society and the restrictions it put upon them.

[6] Three of the members of the group pioneered methods to deal with their adversity: Josefa Massanés, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda and Carolina Coronado.

[6] Carolina Coronado wrote a series entitled Cantos de Safo where she tried to reimagine the memory of the ancient Greek poet Sappho and put in play her desire for freedom and female culture.

[8] They borrowed the vocabulary and formulas of erotic poetry from their male colleagues, which helped them to express in their poems a spiritual sisterhood of mutual aid.

Their influence is seen in the works of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, whose poems recall Dolores Cabrera and Heredia in which the woman is beautiful but incapable of feeling love.