What is María Isabel Carvajal?
{{Orphan|date=May 2009}} {{nosources|date=September 2015}} [[Image:Carmen Lyra 2.png|right|200px]] '''Carmen Lyra''' (January 15, 1888 – May 14, 1949) was the [[pseudonym]] of the first prominent female [[Costa Rican]] writer, born '''María Isabel Carvajal Quesada'''. == Life == Lyra studied at the [[school]] in her [[neighborhood]] in the [[Buenaventura Corrales]]. She studied [[pedagogy]] at the [[college]] and got the teacher’s [[certification]]. Lyra began teaching in the [[rural]] El Monte School in the [[Provinces of Costa Rica|province]] of [[Heredia]]. In 1906, she worked in the [[San Juan de Dios Hospital]] for a short time. == Teaching methods == Lyra [[travel]]led to [[Europe]]. While there, she learned about new [[education|educational systems]]. When she returned, she worked with a teacher and founded the first [[pre-school]] in Costa Rica. == Writing career == Lyra's first [[publishing|publication]] was the [[novel]] ''En una silla de ruedas'' (In a Wheelchair), in 1918. Her [[Short story|short stories]] were published in the ''[[Pandemonium Magazine]]'', ''[[Ariel Magazine]], and the ''Repertorio Americano''. The stories of Carmen Lyra have been used in many schools. The most [[popular]] is ''Cuentos de mi tía Panchita'' (Story of my aunt Panchita). It was published in 1920. This story is well known by most Costa Rican. Other works of Maria Isabel Carvajal are ''Las fantasias de Juan Silvestre'' (1918), ''Obras Completas'' (1975), ''La cucarachita mandina'' (1976) and ''relatos escogidos'' (1977). == Politics == Carmen Lyra was involved in Costa Rican [[politics]]. She was part of the [[Communism|communist party]]. She helped [[wikt:organize|organize]] women schoolteachers to burn down the [[building]] of the official [[newspaper]] and to overthrow the [[dictator]]ship of Costa Rica's [[Federico Tinoco Granados]] in 1919. She is credited with [[translation|translating]] the [[Communist Manifesto]] into [[Spanish language|Spanish]] in 1920. She went on to take a leading role in the [[b