Catalan literature continues to broaden its horizons and incorporate experiences that for too long have remained on the margins. In this sense, Una llum tímida (published by Empúries and now also released by labutxaca), by Àfrica Alonso, and Jura’m que tornaràs (Univers), by Laila Karrouch, constitute two outstanding contributions to the representation of love between women. Despite being set in very different historical and cultural contexts, both novels share the will to give visibility to often silenced stories and to vindicate the dignity of people who loved against the current.
In Una llum tímida, Alonso reconstructs the relationship between Isabel and Carmen, two teachers from the Valencian Country, during Francoism. Between them, a bond is born that will have to grow amidst fear, repression, and constant surveillance. The novel stands out for the sensitivity with which it describes the discovery of love, but also for the harshness with which it portrays the persecution of lesbians under the dictatorship. The author recovers a little-known historical memory, marked by stigma, violence, and reconversion therapies, authentic torture practices endorsed by the institutions of the time. However, the book is not trapped in pain: it is also a story of tenderness, mutual support, and resistance in the face of adversity.
Resistance is also at the center of Jura’m que tornaràs. Set in Morocco in the 1980s, Laila Karrouch's novel narrates the relationship between Malika and Souad, two women who love each other in a society where this love is considered haram. With fluid and accessible prose, the author shows the tensions between individual desire and the demands of tradition, religion, and community. At the same time, she vindicates the role of women who sustain daily life and challenge, often in silence, the imposed limits. The protagonist's mother thus becomes a particularly significant figure for her capacity to welcome and protect.
Separated by geographies and historical contexts, the protagonists of both stories share the same determination: to love despite fear. Both Alonso and Karrouch focus on the difficulties, but also on the alliances and small victories that make freedom possible. The two novels remind us, in times of pride, that every conquered right has been built on stories of resistance like these.
