The Letters of Minerva Mirabal and Manolo Tavárez

For the first time in English, the stories
of two Dominican national icons in their own words



The
letters between Dominican revolutionaries Minerva Mirabal Reyes and Manolo
Tavárez Justo tell an intimate story of life and love under the brutal
dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, who held power in the nation from 1930 to
1961. Leaders in the 14 of June Movement, Minerva and Manolo were imprisoned
multiple times. Minerva—one of three Mirabal sisters known by the code name
“Las Mariposas” (The Butterflies)—was assassinated with her sisters in 1960;
Manolo was killed in 1963. This translation and critical edition of their
correspondence brings their stories to the English-language readers of the
world.


Paired with commentary from the couple’s
daughter, political activist Minou Tavárez Mirabal, these 117 letters and
telegrams span from the first notes Minerva and Manolo exchanged while courting
in law school to the last message Manolo sent to 7-year-old Minou before his
murder. Translator Heather Hennes introduces the collection with a history of
the Trujillo regime and its opposition, and the book includes a foreword by
Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Through
this volume, readers will discover the human complexities of the iconic and
much-mythologized “Butterfly” Minerva and will appreciate the importance of
the couple’s 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.