Francisca Sarasate
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Francisca Sarasate Navascués (A Coruña, 29 November 1853 – Pamplona, 1 May 1922) was a Spanish writer. She signed some of her books with her married surname, Francisca Sarasate de Mena. Her works included fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, with some of the latter being set to music by others. Sarasate served as director of La Gaceta de París.
Her parents were Miguel Sarasate Juanena, a military musician, and Francisca Javiera Navascués Oarriechena.[1] Francisca's brother was the violinist Pablo de Sarasate. She was born in A Coruña while her father was stationed there, but Francisca considered herself Navarrese like the rest of her family.[2]
She married the Carlist professor and writer Juan Cancio Mena,[3] and was widowed in April 1916.[4][5]
Her first novel was a contribution in La Ilustración Española y Americana in 1879. Her writings earned her some admiration among musicians such as Camille Saint-Saëns, who in 1880 composed in Sarasate's honor the Aragonese jota "A mademoiselle Paquita de Sarasate".[5] Some of Sarasate's poems were set to music by her brother. She gave several lectures at the Ateneo de Zaragoza and was director of La Gaceta de París.[6]
Awards
In 1882, Sarasate won the 5th prize -consisting of a golden pen- in the contest organized by the City Council of Alba de Tormes on the occasion of the 3rd Centenary of the death of Teresa de Ávila,[7] for “Amor divino”.
