Elena Fortun and Carmen Laforet were two Spanish writers who became dear penpals at the end of the 1940s... At the time of their meeting, Elena (35 years Carmen's senior) was the author of the successful childrens' series 'Celia', about a troublesome little girl, while Carmen had recently been launched to fame by her debut novel, 'Nada', at the age of twenty-three... The play "Cartas Vivas", written and directed by Paula Paz of the Cervantes Theatre in London puts the letters exchanged between the two authors between 1947 and 1952 on stage...But before we learn more about these letters, Helena Rigabert takes a look at the news.