The Letters of Minerva Mirabal and Manolo Tavárez

For the first time in English, the stories of two Dominican national icons in their own words

The letters between Dominican revolutionaries Minerva Mirabal Reyes and Manolo Tavárez Justo tell an intimate story of life and love under the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, who held power in the nation from 1930 to 1961. Leaders in the 14 of June Movement, Minerva and Manolo were imprisoned multiple times. Minerva—one of three Mirabal sisters known by the code name “Las Mariposas” (The Butterflies)—was assassinated with her sisters in 1960; Manolo was killed in 1963. This translation and critical edition of their correspondence brings their stories to the English-language readers of the world.

Paired with commentary from the couple’s daughter, political activist Minou Tavárez Mirabal, these 117 letters and telegrams span from the first notes Minerva and Manolo exchanged while courting in law school to the last message Manolo sent to 7-year-old Minou before his murder. Translator Heather Hennes introduces the collection with a history of the Trujillo regime and its opposition, and the book includes a foreword by Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Through this volume, readers will discover the human complexities of the iconic and much-mythologized “Butterfly” Minerva and will appreciate the importance of the couple’s legacy in the politics and democratic growth of the country today.

Publication of this work made possible by a Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.