Biography
Begoña Caamaño was a highly acclaimed writer in the Galician language, author of two novels, Circe or the Pleasure of Blue (2009) and Morgana in Esmelle (2012), both recreations of myths, the first to do with the famous enchantress of Greek mythology, the second with Morgan le Fay of the Arthurian legend, King Arthur’s supernatural elder sister. This latter novel won numerous prizes when it came out, including those of the Galician Publishers’ and the Galician-Language Writers’ Associations. Begoña Caamaño was an experienced journalist who worked for Galician Radio, directing and presenting cultural programmes. She was also a committed feminist and contributed to numerous feminist and anti-militarist magazines. She died in 2014 at the age of fifty.
Synopsis
Four sources contribute to make up the narrative of Morgana in Esmelle (220 pages). They are the memoirs of Philip of Amancia, who was Merlin’s servant in his childhood years; the Chronicles of Avalon, a more objective source; Merlin’s own conscience; and the voice of Morgana, or Morgan le Fay, herself. Esmelle is a forest in the land of Miranda, in the province of Lugo, Galicia. This setting is taken from an earlier Galician novel centred on the Arthurian legend: Merlin and Company by Álvaro Cunqueiro.
Sample
Now that my Lord Merlin sleeps peacefully beside his knowledge and his seven areas of the complexity of education, and while I still have the memories fresh in my mind, perhaps the time has come when I can finally talk about what happened, long ago in Miranda, about which I was always forbidden to speak. I don’t think my story could harm my master in any way now. He’s sleeping so soundly that none of us is certain whether he’s dead or resting, because every day that passes his white locks mingle more with the frost covering the bark of the old oak he went to lean against when he decided to retire in search of rest. It’s getting harder and harder now to tell where the human locks end and where the frost on the tree begins.
Portico of Galician Literature 