Lieutenant Nun

The remarkable true story of a crossdressing, transatlantic adventurer who escaped from a Spanish convent in 1599 and lived as a man—gambling, fighting duels, and leading soldiers into battle

A Beacon Classics edition, featuring a spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

One of the earliest known autobiographies by a woman, this is the extraordinary tale of Catalina de Erauso, who in 1599 escaped from a Basque convent dressed as a man and went on to live one of the most wildly fantastic lives of any woman in history.

A soldier in the Spanish army, she traveled to Peru and Chile, became a gambler, and even mistakenly killed her own brother in a duel. During her lifetime she emerged as the adored folkloric hero of the Spanish-speaking world. She eventually revealed her true “condition” to a bishop, who was so moved that he pardoned her crimes, and even became a darling of the Pope, who granted her permission to continue her life as a man.

Named a New York Times Book Review Notable Book, Lieutenant Nun not only questions other accounts of the Spanish conquest; it provides insight into a life of a woman who defied the gender roles of her time and became a hero for it. This delightful translation of Catalina’s own work introduces a new audience to her audacious escapades.