BONUS: The Sisters Who Took On A Dictator, Part 2
History's Heroes
BBC
4.8 • 824 Ratings
🗓️ 20 January 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Alex von Tunzelmann talks to Dominican American writer Julia Alvarez. Her 1994 novel In The Time of the Butterflies, tells the fictionalised account of the Mirabal Sisters, who lost their lives in standing up to the dictator Rafael Trujillo.
Alvarez, who was awarded The National Medal of the Arts, spent her childhood years in the Dominican Republic and describes the Mirabals as her “shadow sisters.” In 2001, the novel was adapted into a feature film of the same name, starring Salma Hayek as Minerva Mirabal and Edward James Olmos as Rafael Trujillo.
Stories of bold voices, with brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. Historian Alex von Tunzelmann shines a light on remarkable people from across history.
A BBC Studios production.
Presented by Alex von Tunzelmann Executive Producer: Paul Smith Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Hello, I'm Greg Jenner, and good news, |
| 0:09.5 | Your Dead to Me, is back for a new series. |
| 0:11.6 | Here we go. |
| 0:12.1 | Yes, we'll explore Emperor Nero's notorious reign with Professor Mary Beard and Patton Oswald. |
| 0:16.9 | I would not want my daughter having the remote control, not alone an empire. |
| 0:21.0 | We'll dissect the decadent life of Philippe Duke-Dolion with Tom Allen. |
| 0:24.8 | I've often tried to pretend I'm an aristocrat and being very quickly knocked down. |
| 0:29.1 | And there'll be so much more with comedians like Olga Koch, Mike Mosniak and Rihelina. |
| 0:33.0 | I'm excited. |
| 0:33.7 | You're dead to me. |
| 0:34.5 | The comedy podcast that takes history seriously. |
| 0:37.0 | Listen first on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:42.3 | I'm Alex von Tonselman and for BBC Radio 4, this is History's Heroes. People with purpose, brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. |
| 1:23.8 | Thank you. brave ideas and the heart of the Caribbean. |
| 1:30.0 | From the 1930s to the 1960s, this beautiful country was in the grip of a brutal dictator. Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo, at great risk to themselves and their family, |
| 1:36.8 | three of the young Mirabal sisters stood up to him, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria. |
| 1:42.9 | Eventually, Trujillo had them murdered, but this crime helped |
| 1:47.3 | precipitate his own eventual downfall. If you're joining for this episode and haven't heard our |
| 1:53.5 | previous one, I recommend you go back and listen to that first. The incredible bravery of the |
| 1:59.8 | Mirabal sisters is still remembered in the Dominican Republic |
| 2:02.8 | to this day. But the fact there more widely known is partly thanks to the incredible |
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