Maruja Mallo and Rafael Alberti 1925-1928: New Evidence and Observations

This essay focuses on the years 1925-1928, the most important in the amorous relationship between the painter Maruja Mallo (1902-1995) and the writer Rafael Alberti (1902-1999). Although their relationship was well known among the couple's families and friends, it was unrecognized for decades and undiscussed by critics and commentators. This essay seeks to advance our biographical knowledge of that period, from the first encounter to a significant rupture in 1928, which occurred in the midst of Alberti's composition of Sobre los angeles (published in 1929). By comparing a wide range of contemporary sources (newspaper reports, various sets of correspondence, etc.) with subsequent autobiographical writings, we can also identify a number of inaccuracies and distortions that have been introduced into later accounts of several key episodes dating from those years.