preface by Paula Bonet
When I saw it in the library, from the far, my first thought was: “Finally, a book about my favourite singer”! Of course, I was wrong, but still I am thankful to Lila Downs for the fact I opened this book and took it home.
Lila: historia gráfica de una lucha is a Spanish version of Lila: història gràfica d’una lluita and presents, to quote its publisher, Comanegra, “the history of feminism through its most representative images”. No, it is more than that. Artists are the fighters, and the images are the weapons. But how much feminist history and art one can fit in a 160-page volume? Quite a lot, actually. From abolitionism and suffragist movement to Arab Spring, Malala, Women’s March, #MeToo and, closer home,“Yo también soy adúltera”, 15-M movement and La Manada case; and, art-wise, from Delacroix and Goya through Rosie the Riveter to Guerrilla Girls, Femen, Pussy Riot, Pussyhat, and even Rosalía. Informative and up-to-date — I didn’t know about Ana Orantes murder or Rojava revolution before — and a pleasure to leaf through. My only issue is with the small size of illustrations placed in the margins, while on some pages the same margins are left completely blank.
