Writer Herminia Luque, winner of the Óbidos Literary Residency for writers from Granada, is working on a new book focused on women, with Josefa d’Óbidos as one of the central characters. Luque expresses concern about young people's disinterest in history and their apparent attraction to past eras like the Franco dictatorship, lamenting a "40-year setback" in Spain due to ignorance about the importance of reading and knowledge.
During her literary residency in Óbidos, Luque used the silence and solitude to develop her new work, which aims to give voice to two 17th-century female artists: Josefa d’Óbidos and Ana Heilan. The novel will feature the altarpiece of Saint Catherine by Josefa d’Óbidos, located in the Church of Santa Maria, symbolizing the triumph of wisdom over ignorance.
The author strongly advocates for women's empowerment and their presence in public spaces and politics, warning against far-right ideologies that deny gender-based violence and downplay women's achievements. "There are far-right parties that deny violence against women. This discourse is very dangerous," she states, emphasizing that many young women are unaware of the past struggles to gain rights such as education, employment, and economic independence.
Luque identifies young people, particularly boys, as the main followers of far-right ideology, motivated by virility and the maintenance of gender hierarchies. She links this phenomenon to sports, especially football, and cites the statement by Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, to Donald Trump as an example of the importance of female representation in politics.
The writer laments that many young people in Spain advocate for the Franco dictatorship, demonstrating a profound lack of knowledge about the period and its crimes. "Franco was a criminal. He came to power by murdering 300,000 people," she recalls, criticizing the lack of critical thinking and the refusal to discuss the past, even within some traditional families. "We must always move forward," she asserts.
Despite predicting a victory for the right and far-right in Spain, Luque remains hopeful, inspired by figures like Maria Zambrano and the resilience of people in Auschwitz. "We are more those with good ideas and hearts. We want freedom," she states, calling for a fight through words, knowledge, and critical thinking to combat fascism and dictatorships.
Luque believes that men fear losing their historical privileges, such as control and benefits derived from the subordination of women, who have historically been equated to "domestic slaves." The author compares the current reality to Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," warning about the commodification of the female body, particularly through surrogacy.
Interpreting the theme of FÓLIO 2026, "Beyond the skin," Luque finds it highly relevant for reflecting on the blurring of boundaries between the intimate and the public, the commodification of the human body, and the loss of the soul in favor of a fragmented, technological identity. "We must think about this concept of the human being as something to be traded, bought, and sold. We want a body with dignity and rights."
