Virginia's Sisters

"This important anthology reclaims the voices of female writers from around the world, illustrating the existence of a powerful female literary tradition outside the male literary patrimony." - Professor Stiliana Milkova, author of Elena Ferrante as World Literature; "This book is a collection of short stories and poems written by female writers in the early 1900’s. Some are translated to English from the native language. It’s a nice book because you can read one short story and come back later to a different story. I’ve not read many of these authors before so it was interesting to hear their stories. I also loved the drawings and quotes from famous women throughout history. It reminds me how far women have come in the last 100+ years and how much more can change in the next 100 years. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in early 1900’s stories about women and the struggles they faced." -Sheri Steuben, reviewer Netgalley; "Virginia's Sisters is a fantastic anthology which brings to light female voices from the early 1900s who have not been celebrated as much in the literary canon, either because they were overshadowed by male contemporaries or because their work was not translated into English at the time of publishing. While well known names like Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton and Katherine Mansfield figure in this collection of poetry and short stories, their work is illuminated and complemented by voices from Eastern Europe and Asia. All of these stories sing with talent but also shed light upon the female experience in the early 20th century. Every woman in these stories is tackling how they are defined by their relationships to men, motherhood and marriage. But these writers also weave in the intricacies of human existence too - these are not two-dimensional narratives focusing just on the 'plight' of womanhood. Within these tales we learn about the loves, hungers and secrets these women keep. Independence, success, transgressing boundaries and queer relationships are all celebrated in these stories. Thus, rather than being an anthology dictated by a white male professor in a stuffy office, this anthology breathes with refreshing perspectives as it exists to ensure quieter voices from literature of the past are finally being heard." -Kristiana Reed, reviewer Netgalley