Andrea D. Morales, a young Sevillian researcher and writer, has published “The last sultana” (Ediciones B). This is an approximate representation of the figure of Morayma the last queen of Granada, wife to Boabdil. Morales is an authority in the history of women during the period of Muslim dominance in the southern peninsula. Despite being her seventh book, this is her first foray into historical fiction, having previously been successful in juvenile fiction.
“Very little is written about women in Al Andalus. There are few novels that address her role in the circles of power. He claims that history has forgotten the importance of women and that little by little the field of study dedicated to them is improving. The historical novel is primarily focused on the male figure. Particularly, most novels about the end the Nasrid period focus on the figures of Boabdil or the Catholic Monarchs. They also neglect to mention Aixa, mother of King Boy, in order to ignore the importance Morayma played during that period. . It is rare to talk about the defeated, especially if it is a woman.
There isn’t much information available about the events that took place during the reign of the other queen from Granada. Morales comments that Aixa’s role as the leader, and her involvement in the palace intrigues during the final period of the kingdom has overshadowed Morayma. He adds that he wanted to share with her the hardships of life in the harems and also to show her the contagion of the roles of women in the courts of her times, in order to give her a place we don’t have any record of but which he was able perform flawlessly.
The reader will see firsthand the queen’s personal growth from her time as an inexperienced young girl at the Alhambra to her first day as a butler at the Palace. A woman without any royal heritage who became a sovereign thanks to her beauty, ability and wealth. The author says, “I show a women who goes from knowing nothing and plays a fundamental part in a period of history that changed it.”
We can approach the deepest emotions and desires of the last Sultana by using the narrative in the first person. Morayma was happy for only a few days. But she was also sad for many others and her heart was broken. She had to overcome these difficulties. Andrea D. Morales says that she went to see her to show the queen and the woman.
His deep knowledge of the period during which the novel is set allows him to give the reader many curious details about the fashion, grooming, and even Palacio’s diet. . He defends the light emanating from Al Andalus during a period that is often referred to as dark in pop culture and cinema. “In a thousand year there were times when there was war, famine or famine. But there were also times when the arts and sciences could shine. Abderraman II’s Cordoba – also known as ‘the honeymoon,’ – was one example. The kingdom of Granada before the decadent period I describe in my novel was another example.
Moreno speaks out about the historical significance of Granada, both as a court, and as a city that welcomes arts and science to its historic context. It was a privilege to go through it again during my research period before writing the work.
