Concepción Gimeno de Flaquer and Her Transatlantic Journey (1873–1890): Victorina o heroísmo del corazón

This chapter focuses on the first novel published by Concepción Gimeno de Flaquer (1850–1919), Victorina o el heroísmo del corazón (Victorina or the Heroism of the Heart, 1873), which reflects her real-life correspondence with the Spanish actor and theater entrepreneur Manuel Catalina (1820–1886). By examining four different versions of Victorina, Gimeno’s transatlantic journey is studied as essential to the development of her place in the Republic of Letters. Gimeno published Victorina three times in Spain and once in Mexico. The changes that Gimeno made in each version underscore how she developed her career as a writer with the intention of finding a place for herself both in the world of literature and in the world of journalism through the creation of a transatlantic profile.