The Possessed Girl of Rural Spain: "Habitada" by Cristina Sánchez-Andrade

Discover the latest novel from Cristina Sánchez-Andrade, one of the most acclaimed and original voices in contemporary Spanish literature. Habitada is a compelling work that blends Galician folklore, magical realism, and incisive social commentary, offering a rich exploration of belief, tradition, and the forces that shape communities.

Sánchez-Andrade’s writing is celebrated for its lyrical depth, narrative daring, and sharp insight into human experience, making each of her works a vivid journey into Spanish culture and literature. Habitada continues this tradition, engaging with historical inspiration and imaginative storytelling to create a novel that is both haunting and profoundly thought-provoking.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session, giving attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the author and discuss her literary vision, creative process, and the cultural and social themes that inform her work.

Join us for this unique opportunity to meet a leading Spanish author and experience the literary and cultural richness of Spain, brought to life in the heart of Georgetown University.

The young Manuela has been confined for a year due to a strange ailment called corpo aberto, a type of possession: her body is inhabited by a clergyman who died years earlier in Havana.

Despite being illiterate, she displays knowledge of Latin, dogmatics, and philosophy. Soon, doctors and theologians arrive to examine the girl, each providing a different diagnosis: a wandering uterus, hysteria… This situation stirs up a wave of curiosity and reverence among the people of the village (a Galician hamlet at the beginning of the 20th century). Pilgrimages begin to see the girl and listen to her “masses,” and a frenzy of fervor and madness overtakes the villagers, leading them into a bacchanalia of sex and death.

From her confinement, Manuela recalls everything that happened before she fell ill. With an intimate and anguished voice, she recounts fragments of her life: when the abbot took her to work at the manor of the local noble, Don Diego, to care for Señora Inmaculada, who suffered from nervous ailments. There, under the watchful eye of the ever-present cook Jerónima, indecent situations unfolded, which Manuela describes with complete detachment. A host of diverse characters —the shameful abbot, his tyrannical mother, the village women, and the meiga (a half-witch, half-healer)— appear in her narrative, mixed with strange visions that make her see her dead mother, unborn children, and an enigmatic clergyman.

"An ambitious, contemporary novel full of humor that explores magical behavior as a means of escaping the patriarchy."

Cristina Sánchez-Andrade is a Spanish author of 12 novels. Her work gained international recognition with the novel The Winterlings, which received an English PEN Award in 2016. Critics have compared her prose style to both magic realism and Southern Gothic traditions. Sánchez-Andrade holds degrees in law and media studies and contributes reviews and articles to various Spanish newspapers and literary magazines. She is also an Associate Professor in the Master’s Degree in Creative Writing at the Complutense University of Madrid.

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The event starts at 4:00 PM. We encourage attendees to arrive a little early to settle in before the presentation.

How to get there?

• Public transportation

Georgetown does not have a direct Metro station. Nearby stations include Foggy Bottom–GWU (Blue/Orange/Silver lines) and Rosslyn (across the Key Bridge), both about a 15–20 minute walk to campus.

Several Metrobus lines, including G2 and C91, stop near the university’s front gates, providing convenient access to the campus.

• Driving and Parking

Street parking in nearby neighborhoods is limited, and most residential spots enforce two-hour limits without a permit. Please check signs carefully.

• Walking Directions on Campus

From the front gates at 37th & O Streets NW, enter the campus and follow the main walkway across Copley Lawn. The Intercultural Center (ICC) is a red brick building visible from the central quadrangle. Enter the front doors and take the stairs or elevator to Room 450.

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If you need special assistance, please contact us at [email protected]

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