Resumo

LINHARD, Tabea Alexa. Margarita Nelken y Anna Seghers. Webs of intrigue and espionage. Lit. mex [online]. 2023, vol.34, n.2, pp.59-81.  Epub 05-Abr-2024. ISSN 2448-8216.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.litmex.2023.34.2/0023s01x7923.

This article begins with an encounter between Margarita Nelken and Anna Seghers in Valencia, in 1937. They would meet again in Mexico, where both found exile. However, the relationship between these two Jewish writers was marked by mistrust: some sources indicate that Nelken, previously accused of being a KGB agent, was also an informant for the FBI, which kept Seghers under surveillance during her exile years. The investigation centers on the implications of Nelken’s possible involvement with espionage. Throughout her life, Nelken faced repeated accusations of conspiracy and treason, accusations that came from both a right wing that loathed her and a left wing that mistrusted her. Nelken’s story, therefore, shows that Edward Said’s notion of the “loneliness of exile” is intrinsically connected to gender.

Palavras-chave : Margarita Nelken; Anna Seghers; exile; espionage; feminism.