The Letters of a Portuguese Nun

Note on authorship: These “Lettres portugaises” were originally published as having been written by an unknown author in Portuguese and translated into French, also by an unknown translator. Eventually, they came to be ascribed to Sister Marianna Alcoforado, and countless editions were published throughout the centuries under her name. More recent scholarship, however, has considered more plausible that the letters were written by Gabriel de Guilleragues in French, and increasingly new editions are attributed to him. The authorship question is not settled, and new editions continue to be published attributing the letters to Sister Mariana as well.