Raised within the socially restrictive mores of a transient middle-class family and troubled with a stammering problem, Ana María Matute took refuge in literature. At 17, she began to use her experiences to probe the themes of lost childhood, injustice, and the lives of the marginalized. She soon developed a fresh prose style that deftly blended fantasy and realism, revitalizing the mid-20th-century Spanish literary scene. This landmark program features an interview with Matute and readings from her works, as well as the insights of writer and journalist Inmaculada de la Fuente, the University of Madrid’s Alicia Redondo Goycoechea, and Fernando Valls, of the Universidad Autónoma of Barcelona, in an exploration of the narrative virtuosity of one of Spain’s most honored and beloved writers. (Spanish with English narration and subtitles, 31 minutes)