Enriqueta González Rubín

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Rubín.
Enriqueta González Rubín
Born17 April 1832[1]
Santianes, Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain[1]
Died9 November 1877(1877-11-09) (aged 45)[1]
Infiesto, Piloña, Asturias, Spain[1]
OccupationWriter

Enriqueta González Rubín (17 April 1832 – 9 November 1877) was a Spanish writer. Her 1875 Viaxe del tío Pacho el Sordo a Uviedo is the earliest known novel published in Asturian.

Biography

Relatively little is known about González Rubín's life.[1] She was born on 17 April 1832 in Santianes, Ribadesella, Asturias. into a relatively wealthy family. Her parents were Bernardo González de Soto, a retired navy officer originally from Galicia, and Josefa Rubín González. Her mother died when González Rubín was young.

She became a single mother out of wedlock aged 22, however her son died a few months later. Five years later, on June 22nd 1859, she married Juan Echevarría Barrera, with whom she went on to have 8 children. Despite becoming a mother, she stayed active in the Asturias community and continued her literary work throughout her life. As Enriqueta was an active part of her community, this enriched her literature and later resulted in her publishing the first novel written in Asturian. Through this we can see that Enriqueta was extremely important in promoting Asturian as a minority language, and that she helped this language reach a wider audience through her writing.

González Ruben died in on 9 November 1877 from cancer in Infiesto, Piloña, Asturias, aged 55.  

Literary Works

Viaxe del tío Pacho el Sordo a Uviedo

González Rubín's work Viaxe del tío Pacho el Sordo a Uviedo (Uncle Pacho the Deaf's Trip to Oviedo) was published in 1875; it is the earliest known published novel (and earliest known separately published narrative work) in Asturian.[1][2][3] In it she ironically reflected on Asturian politics and society of this time.

In 2007, 133 years after its publication, the municipal heritage conservator of Llanes, José Antonio Anca, discovered this novel in a mansion in Llanes.[4][5]

The discovery allowed us to know that it consists of a total of twenty-four octavo pages with a simple plot: the main character's journey to Oviedo to deliver a salmon to a person of whom he has only vague clues. Thus, Pacho gets to know some places in the city and faces several situations until he finds the person he was looking for, to return the next day to Ribadesella. The story allows González Rubín to discuss the people of Oviedo and to critique the politics and economy of the time.[6]

El Faro Asturiano

Many of González Rubín's articles, poems and stories were published in the newspaper El Faro Asturiano[1], as well as a serialized novel. Her articles express a concern for women's living conditions, education, and role in society. In 1890, Protasio González Solís, the paper's director, published several works that González Rubín had written for the paper in his Memorias Asturianas (OCLC 892238758) using the pseudonyms "La Gallina Vieja" (The Old Hen), "La Cantora del Sella" (The [Female] Singer from Sella), and "Una Aldeana del Sella" (A [Female] Villager from Sella).[1]

Legacy

González Rubín’s legacy is kept alive through the Enriqueta González Rubín Journalism Award, which is one of the most prestigious awards for journalism in Asturias. Since 2003, it has been organized by the Ministry of Culture of Asturias.[1]

During the week of May 4 to 8, 2009, the 30th Week of Asturian Letters was celebrated, dedicated to the memory of Enriqueta. The Government of Asturias reissued and revived her work, complementing it with literary studies on her legacy.

There currently exists a “Enriqueta González Rubín” route in Santianes, promoted by “La Sociedad Etnográfica de Ribadesella” (The Ribadesella Etnographic Society).[7][8] The route is inspired by a journey described by the writer in her story “Una excursión a la montaña” (A Trip up the Mountain) published in “El Faro Asturiano”.  

In her hometown of Santianes del Agua there is a plaque in her honour [9], and the town square was given her name.[7]  

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Garcia, Juan (25 October 2008). "Ribadesella busca a los descendientes de la escritora Enriqueta González Rubín" [Ribadesella seeks descendants of the writer Enriqueta González Rubín]. El Comercio (in European Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  2. ^ Garcia, J. (6 August 2019). "Enriqueta González Rubín tendrá una calle en Ribadesella, su concejo natal" [Enriqueta González Rubín will have a street in Ribadesella, her birthplace]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  3. ^ Rojo, Miguel (24 October 2008). "Hallan en un caserón de Llanes la primera narración publicada en asturiano" [First narrative published in Asturian found in Llanes estate]. El Comercio (in European Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  4. ^ Beran, Arantxa Margolles (7 March 2019). "Las primeras páginas de una historia por descubrir. Siete escritoras asturianas para un 8-M". El Comercio: Diario de Asturias (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  5. ^ GARCÍA, JUAN (25 October 2008). "Ribadesella busca a los descendientes de la escritora Enriqueta González Rubín". El Comercio: Diario de Asturias (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Enriqueta González Rubín". Asturies.com. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Santianes del Agua (Ribadesella) - Enriqueta González Rubín". www.santianesdelagua.com. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Ruta literaria. Enriqueta González Rubín". Wikiloc | Rutas del Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  9. ^ admin (24 October 2022). "Descubierta la placa que otorga el nombre de Enriqueta González Rubín a la Biblioteca Municipal de Ribadesella | Cope Ribadesella" (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 January 2026.

Further reading

  • Valdés, Guadalupe; Villaverde Amieva, María Jesús; Lorences, Taresa (2009). Enriqueta González Rubín: el sinciu d'una escritora del XIX (in Asturian). Oviedo: Conseyería de Cultura y Turismu. OCLC 733669730.
  • García, Antón (1994). "Enriqueta González Rubín". Lliteratura Asturiana nel tiempu (in Asturian). Oviedo: Conseyería d'Educación, Cultura, Deportes, y Xuventu. pp. 75–77. ISBN 978-84-7847-280-2. OCLC 490124783.
  • García, Antón (1992). "Enriqueta González Rubín". El Cuentu asturianu, 1860-1939 (in Asturian). Oviedo: Trabe. pp. 27–36. ISBN 978-84-8053-007-1. OCLC 45345672.
  • González Rubín, Enriqueta; Lorences, Taresa (2009). Obra completa. Oviedo: Conseyería de Cultura y Turismu. ISBN 978-84-8053-532-8. OCLC 733669763.
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