Women Writers in German-Speaking Countries: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook (Linguistics; 14) - Hardcover

"The largest, most widely-spanning reference work to offer such a wealth of information of these women."-Translation Review "[A]n excellent and urgently needed introduction to German-speaking women authors; it is sure to become a standard reference tool for both the general reader and the more specialized scholar."-Monatshefte 2001 "This...superbly edited book is bound to go through many hands, and the editors and contributors should be congratulated. It is of interest to general readers and scholars alike, and a necessity for teachers of German literature and culture, as well as for those engaged in Women's Studies at colleges and universities."-The International Fiction Review "This volume presents a sizeable number of women writers who deserve to be known to a wider audience, particularly to an English-speaking audience. It may provide the impetus for publishing much-needed English translations - a desirable goal, by the way, also for many German men writers. And the "feminist perspective" might help to stimulate interest in the field of Germanistik, a field that is struggling to remain visible in the academic discourse at American universities."-South Atlantic Review "Scholars who use and appreciate Elke Frederiksen's 1989 Greenwood volume, Women Writers of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: An Annotated Bio-Bibliographical Guide, will not be surprised at the usefulness and high quality of the present coedited volume....Well written and eminently readable, these entries present a solid introduction to their subjects and frequently also offer satisfying new insights for readers who may already possess basic knowledge of the author in question....There is no reason why this volume may not find its place in handy reach on the bookshelf of most Germanistlnnen."-Women in German "This carefully crafted volume fills a longstanding need for biobibliographical information in English about women writers in German-speaking countries....The quality of the essays is very high, and the editorial care shown in the compilation of the bibliographies is obvious; the work can even be used as a tool for building collections of works by and about women authors in German-speaking countries....Sturdily bound to ensure many years of consultation, its usefulness is further enhanced by a selected bibliography of general works on literary questions surrounding women writers in the German-speaking countries. All academic collections."-Choice " A n excellent and urgently needed introduction to German-speaking women authors; it is sure to become a standard reference tool for both the general reader and the more specialized scholar."-Monatshefte 2001 ?The largest, most widely-spanning reference work to offer such a wealth of information of these women.?-Translation Review ?[A]n excellent and urgently needed introduction to German-speaking women authors; it is sure to become a standard reference tool for both the general reader and the more specialized scholar.?-Monatshefte 2001 ?This...superbly edited book is bound to go through many hands, and the editors and contributors should be congratulated. It is of interest to general readers and scholars alike, and a necessity for teachers of German literature and culture, as well as for those engaged in Women's Studies at colleges and universities.?-The International Fiction Review ?This volume presents a sizeable number of women writers who deserve to be known to a wider audience, particularly to an English-speaking audience. It may provide the impetus for publishing much-needed English translations - a desirable goal, by the way, also for many German men writers. And the "feminist perspective" might help to stimulate interest in the field of Germanistik, a field that is struggling to remain visible in the academic discourse at American universities.?-South Atlantic Review ?Scholars who use and appreciate Elke Frederiksen's 1989 Greenwood volume, Women Writers of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: An Annotated Bio-Bibliographical Guide, will not be surprised at the usefulness and high quality of the present coedited volume....Well written and eminently readable, these entries present a solid introduction to their subjects and frequently also offer satisfying new insights for readers who may already possess basic knowledge of the author in question....There is no reason why this volume may not find its place in handy reach on the bookshelf of most Germanistlnnen.?-Women in German ?This carefully crafted volume fills a longstanding need for biobibliographical information in English about women writers in German-speaking countries....The quality of the essays is very high, and the editorial care shown in the compilation of the bibliographies is obvious; the work can even be used as a tool for building collections of works by and about women authors in German-speaking countries....Sturdily bound to ensure many years of consultation, its usefulness is further enhanced by a selected bibliography of general works on literary questions surrounding women writers in the German-speaking countries. All academic collections.?-Choice ?Those who concern themselves with women's literature in Germanistik, comparative literature, and cultural, women's, and gender studies will welcome this English-language reference work....Women Writers in German-Speaking Countries is to be highly recommended as a reference work on significant women authors who have made major contributions to Western culture and who therefore should take their places in the canon of both German and world literature. This work makes these authors, and feminist interpretations of their works, available to a larger audience than heretofore, and [has a] thorough treatment of the most important women in German literature.?-Journal of English and Germanic Philology "Those who concern themselves with women's literature in Germanistik, comparative literature, and cultural, women's, and gender studies will welcome this English-language reference work....Women Writers in German-Speaking Countries is to be highly recommended as a reference work on significant women authors who have made major contributions to Western culture and who therefore should take their places in the canon of both German and world literature. This work makes these authors, and feminist interpretations of their works, available to a larger audience than heretofore, and [has a] thorough treatment of the most important women in German literature."-Journal of English and Germanic Philology

Women have contributed to the literature of German-speaking countries since the Middle Ages, and they continue to write important works at the close of the 20th century. While research on texts by women writers in German-speaking countries has increased substantially, most of these authors remain virtually unknown to English-speaking scholars and students. The first work of its kind in English, this reference book contains alphabetically arranged entries for 54 Austrian, German, and Swiss women writers-such as Hrotsvit von Gandersheim, Louise Aston, Elfriede Jelinek, and Erica Pedretti-from the tenth century to the present day. Each entry includes a biography, a discussion of major themes, a survey of criticism, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. An introductory essay overviews the history of literature by women in German-speaking countries, and an extensive bibliography concludes the volume. Women have actively shaped literature in German-speaking countries from the Middle Ages to the present day. These authors continue to enrich the world of letters, and an increasing amount of scholarly attention is given to their writings. In spite of their contributions, however, most of these writers are virtually unknown to English-speaking scholars and students. And though one of the explicit goals of feminist literary and cultural studies has been to provide a voice to a multitude of diverse authors, feminist research still seems to focus heavily on texts by authors such as Christa Wolf, Ingeborg Bachmann, and Bettina von Arnim, or on certain periods in 19th- and 20th-century German literature and culture. As a result, many other women authors have faded into obscurity. Through entries written by expert contributors, this reference book provides insights into the life and writings of 54 women authors from German-speaking countries. Entries are arranged alphabetically to facilitate use, while an appendix lists the writers chronologically. Included are profiles of authors from the tenth century to the present day, such as Hrotsvit von Gandersheim, Louise Aston, Elfriede Jelinek, and Erica Pedretti. Each entry includes a biography, a discussion of major themes and stylistic features, a survey of criticism, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. An introductory essay overviews the history of literature by women in German-speaking countries and provides a theroretical context for the work, and an extensive bibliography of secondary sources concludes the volume.