The start of the Spanish Civil War prevented Martín Gaite from attending the last two years of High School in the School Institute of Madrid, as her sister Ana had done before her, so she had to complete her secondary education in the Women's School Institute of Salamanca, an environment reflected in her novel, "Entre visillos". There, she was taught by Rafael Lapesa and Salvador Fernández Ramírez. They would be future members of the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy) and their influence would leave a mark on her and her literary vocation.