The Life and Times of Mother Andrea

The picaresque tale of Mother Andrea, a Golden Age brothel-keeper. The anonymous novella Vida y costumbres de la Madre Andrea [ca 1650, The Life and Times of Mother Andrea ] is a fascinating account of the life of the owner/administrator of a Madrid brothel. Probably written bya Sephardic resident of Amsterdam, and following the picaresque mode of first person narrative, it details the amusing experiences of Mother Andrea, the prostitutes under her charge, and the varied social types who make up