Here stands the Carmen Conde Plaque a testament to a remarkable life. This unassuming plaque on Calle Ferraz marks where Carmen Conde lived from 1949 until 1992. It’s a quiet tribute to a woman who shattered glass ceilings. She became the first female numerary member of the Real Academia Española.
Carmen Conde Abellán was a force of nature. A poet a novelist a teacher. She was born in Cartagena in 1907. Her life was a tapestry woven with threads of creativity courage and resilience. Even as a child she showed a flair for writing. At age seven she moved to Melilla with her family. She later chronicled these early years in her memoir Empezando la vida.
In 1923 she passed a competitive exam. She became an auxiliary in the drafting room of the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval. She started contributing to local newspapers the following year. By 19 she was studying education. She later met the poet Antonio Oliver Belmás. They married in 1931 and together founded Cartagena’s first Popular University. This was a daring move a beacon of education and culture.
The Spanish Civil War cast a long shadow. Her husband joined the Republican troops. Carmen followed him through Andalusian cities. She eventually returned to Cartagena to care for her mother. The war’s outbreak prevented a planned trip to France and Belgium. This was to study folklore institutions thanks to a grant she had secured.
Later in her life she had a relationship with Amanda Junquera Butler. Due to the social climate neither publicly acknowledged their relationship. After the war Conde and Junquera went into hiding in Madrid. Conde’s husband lived in exile in Murcia. They maintained a correspondence through a friend. They reunited in Madrid in 1945 but their relationship was largely platonic.
Conde’s literary output was immense. She wrote poetry novels plays and children’s literature. In 1979 she delivered her induction speech to the Royal Spanish Academy. It was titled “Poetry before time and immortality”. Her work explored themes of love eroticism and the female experience. She received numerous awards for her contributions to literature.
In her later years Carmen Conde lived in a nursing home in Majadahonda. She passed away in 1996. She left her entire literary collection to her hometown of Cartagena. This plaque serves as a poignant reminder. It reminds us of her enduring legacy. It’s a reminder of a woman who defied conventions and left an indelible mark on Spanish literature. Look closely at the inscription. Let the story of Carmen Conde resonate within you.