New Publication: Love is the Greater Labyrinth

We are very happy to announce the publication of Love Is the Greater Labyrinth, by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the latest addition to our series with Juan de la Cuesta Press.

Inspired by the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur (who famously lurks in the Cretan labyrinth), Love is the Greater Labyrinth (Amor es más laberinto, 1689) presents a story filled with romance, humor, and sociopolitical commentary. Authored by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the famous Mexican philosopher, poet, playwright, and nun, this play showcases the variety and playfulness of Baroque drama and dazzles the reader with Sor Juana’s creativity. As its title indicates, the true action of the play lies outside the labyrinth, where Ancient Greece appears suspiciously like a seventeenth-century court, with courtiers matching wits and swords in messy love pentangles as their servants crack sly metatheatrical jokes behind their backs. However, not everything is laughter and middle-of-the-night assignations in the garden: King Minos is determined to get revenge for the death of his son, as the princesses Fedra and Ariadna vie to save Theseus’s life and secure his affections. Sor Juana explores the epic consequences of emotion running amok, as the heroes of myth find themselves helpless against the power of Cupid.

This new translation of Love is the Greater Labyrinth, her final play, provides English-speaking audiences with another example of Sor Juana’s timeless brilliance.

For more information on our publication series, visit Juan de la Cuesta’s website.