The miniseries about Jane Austen's great mystery

BarcelonaJane Austen would have turned 250 this year, and she remains a fascinating writer whose works are regularly adapted. The latest television production linked to the novelist is a miniseries that doesn't adapt any of her books, but instead explores one of the great mysteries surrounding the author: why her sister Cassandra burned much of her correspondence. Miss Austen, which is based on a book of the same name by Gill Hornby and is a BBC production, premieres this Wednesday on Movistar+ and consists of four episodes.

Adapted for the screen by Andrea Gibb, who was a screenwriter for another Austenite series, Sanditon, the story of Miss Austen It is divided into two time frames. In the most recent, set in 1830, years after the writer's death, Cassandra Austen seeks the help of her friend Isabella, who, following the death of her father, is on the verge of losing her home because the law does not allow her to inherit the family home (a circumstance much explored in Austen's novels). Aside from lending a hand to her friend, Cassandra has another objective: to recover and destroy the letters Jane sent to Isabella's mother. What is in those letters that worries the sister so much, and why does she decide to burn them?

Cassandra's reading of Jane's letters takes the viewer back in time, to when both sisters were young and shared a very close friendship. Despite their close bond, their aspirations are different: one lives for her literature, while the other waits for the moment she can marry the man she has been in love with for years. "We know very little about Cassandra, who was very important in Jane's life. What Gill Hornby has done in this fantastic book that we've adapted is bring together the historical facts we have about Jane and her family, and transform it into the story of the relationship between these two sisters and the importance that relationship had for all of them," explained Andrea Gibb. miniseries.

For Gibb, one of the most interesting facts about the story is the realization that they were two very different sisters, but that they complemented and needed each other. "Cassandra was very solid, stable, and practical, while Jane was the nonconformist and the creative one, but one wouldn't exist without the other. Jane needed Cassandra's support and her faith in Jane's ability to be an author. It's a surprisingly modern reading of young women and how they interact with each other: these sisters can do it."

Renowned actress for playing Cassandra

The real protagonist of Miss Austen She is Cassandra and to give her the necessary substance, the production chose one of the most beloved and valued actresses in the United Kingdom, Keeley Hawes, who also acts as executive producer. A regular presence on British television, she has starred in series such as Line of Duty, The Durrells, either It is a sin. Hawes plays the older version of Cassandra, while Synnøve Karlsen plays the younger version. "It's interesting to see Cassandra's impact on Jane's legacy now because we live in a world where we know everyone's thoughts and feelings: people are very open, we have social media, autobiographies... but I think there's still some value in what Cassandra did, as we don't know Jane's innermost thoughts. I don't think we should know everything about everyone; sometimes it's more interesting not to know, and in Jane's case, her work speaks for itself," Hawes reflected in an interview with the BBC.

Patsy Ferran is in charge of bringing the author ofPride and PrejudiceThe actress says she prepared for the character by reading some of Austen's novels that she knew less about, such as Persuasion either Northanger Abbey, And she emphasizes that what viewers will love most about the series is that it's a love story between two sisters. "Cassandra and Jane weren't just sisters; these two women were best friends, soulmates, and the loves of each other's lives. They both have romantic interests, but, in the end, they adore each other and end up depending on each other." Both Cassandra Austen and Jane Austen never married by choice.