Letters of Minerva Mirabal and Manolo Tavarez

For the first time in English, the storiesof two Dominican national icons in their own wordsTheletters between Dominican revolutionaries Minerva Mirabal Reyes and ManoloTavrez Justo tell an intimate story of life and love under the brutaldictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, who held power in the nation from 1930 to1961. Leaders in the 14 of June Movement, Minerva and Manolo were imprisonedmultiple times. Minervaone of three Mirabal sisters known by the code nameLas Mariposas (The Butterflies)was assassinated with her sisters in 1960;Manolo was killed in 1963. This translation and critical edition of theircorrespondence brings their stories to the English-language readers of theworld.Paired with commentary from the couplesdaughter, political activist Minou Tavrez Mirabal, these 117 letters andtelegrams span from the first notes Minerva and Manolo exchanged while courtingin law school to the last message Manolo sent to 7-year-old Minou before hismurder. Translator Heather Hennes introduces the collection with a history ofthe Trujillo regime and its opposition, and the book includes a foreword byMichelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Throughthis volume, readers will discover the human complexities of the iconic andmuch-mythologized Butterfly Minerva and will appreciate the importance ofthe couples legacy in the politics and democratic growth of the country today.Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.