A los libros y a las mujeres canto (To Books and Women I Sing) is titled after a cleverly rewritten quote from Virgil. This bold opening gesture already announces what lies at the heart of the film: the civilising role of women and literature. María Elorza’s first feature is structured around four portraits of women and their libraries (containing more than books). While there is much admiration in the director’s gaze, this documentary is the opposite of the heroic-epic narratives so characteristic of a male-centred culture: the director wants to give voice to (and sing with) the kinds of characters and stories that often remain at the margins of literature and cinema – while paying homage to the earthiness of these spirited women.