ABSTRACT
It is always a challenge to write the faithful biography of a person when the myth about him or her h as already taken flig ht, and when popular imagination has taken care of augmenting and even improving the h istorical facts. Various considerations then emerge. On the one hand, the write r has to become a thorough critic of the info rmation backed by docume ntation, and reveal the accomplishments as well as the failures of the life it refers to. On the other hand, it has to welcome with enthusiasm the legends and speculations about its protagonist. It becomes clear, upon close examination of Raquel’s letters (the only legacy available today in her own hand-writing) along with the photos of herself and her family, and with the documents gathered in this book, that Raquel deliberately chose to lead a dou ble life, and to te ll the public only part of the truth about herself. We are moved to re view a period she chose to keep in obscurity and to appreciate how wrenching her life must have been during the years as a prostitute between 1924 and 1928. These years were followed by her rebellion against the system that enslaved her. Her personal liberation meant the beginning of a successful campaign against the traffickers’ organization. If what came earlier might add an original and surprising dimension to Raquel’s life, if we view it as th e experience of an incoming immigrant from Poland to Sou th America, Raquel’s biography is similar to that of many other women with families. The difference lies in the circumstances that forced her to change her course.
