The sister of Ruth Lerner de Almea. Is probably the only female Jewish play wright in the history of the Venezuelan stage. By profession she is an attor- ney but has also distinguished herself as a writer in the areas of essay and drama. She began her career writing for the Venezuelan magazines Elite, CAL, and the humorous El sádico ilustrado (The Illustrated Sadist). Lerner's writings tend to be about women and the passing of time as the two relate tothe broader subject of the search for men who they believe will bring meaning to their lives. Her essays demon- strate a sensitivity to Jewish material which is rarely evident inher theatre. At 15, Lerner was given a Parker fountain pen by her father to encourage her to become a writer. In secondary school, Lerner got to know many of the people who would go on to form the avant-garde literary group, Sardio. Lerner's characters are almost all women. Often her drama explores how women are unfulfilled sexually, emotionally and intellectually because they are constrained by the roles and behaviours which patriar- chal society imposes on them. Thematically, Lerner is also concerned to comment on post-dictatorship Venezuela and the waysin which pop culture and image-making, as well as consumerism, act on the Venezuelan consciousness. The question of memory and identity pervades Lerner's work.