forty servants, and her best illuminated books carried in special leather bags. One of her favorites was The Book of the Great Cham—the tell-all by Marco Polo.
So go on, do some guilt-free indulging in the pages of Becca Anderson’s basket of literary bonbons. She has gathered a wealth of delectable stories in which to immerse ourselves, a bite at a time. Let’s hear it for bibliophiles and book ladies—our richest yet most non-fattening vice. Thanks to women from Aphra Behn to Zelda Fitzgerald, we can enter the most magical looking glass of all: the bright world beyond the moment, the one we call “literacy.”
This book is intended to be a travel guide from the library to the Left Bank of Paris and back again. Moreover, it is a tribute to those solitary nuns who scratched out their feminist theologies in anchorite cells, to slave girls who composed classical poetry the equal (at least) of that written by their male contemporaries, to the biblical “J,” and to Saint Jerome’s nameless army who wrote and translated the Bible we know today. It’s a gift of gratitude to the defiant dames who survived rejection letters, bad reviews, and jail time, a big bouquet to the first novelists, pioneer poets, and innovative intellectuals who hosted salons. From the mass-marketed darlings of the mystery world and the romance writers who steal our hearts to the bravehearted who find themselves banned and blacklisted into obscurity, this collection of profiles offers a look at the price women have had to pay to be creative, to be political, and to break new ground. Their surviving, and in some cases ongoing, work continues to affect people worldwide. A great book or poem is, at its zenith, an expression of the divine. For you, for me, for the women portrayed here, to read and to write is to live!
If you ask a distinguished writer the secret to great writing, they will often tell you that reading is the best thing you can do to advance your craft. By reading, absorbing, and paying close attention, you will learn so much about what works in writing. Even more importantly, you will discover what does not work and avoid it thereafter. J. K. Rowling, who went from being an impecunious unknown to one of the wealthiest women in the world thanks to her successful Harry Potter series, admits, “I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.” Joyce Carol Oates reveals a hint of her approach to craft in her reverie on reading: “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” Many an awesome woman writer is a voracious reader who learned much about craft and excellence from exemplars of the same.
My great hope is that YOU are inspired by these women, their personal stories, and the stories they tell in their writing. Whether you aspire to change the world with your poetry, strive to write the truly great American novel, or perhaps forge new worlds and galaxies with your speculative fiction or fantasy series, you, my dear, can do all of that and more. I would love nothing more than to craft another volume including you, dear reader. You can also nominate anyone you think should be included in future volumes; please find the nomination form in the back and do be in touch. We would love to hear from you.
Stay awesome,
Becca
First Ladies of Literature
Mothers of Invention
Hats and pen caps off to these pioneers who paved the way for every woman who followed in their courageous footsteps. Here are stories of their struggles, unmitigated moxie, and unbridled determination to express themselves and share their views with readers. No fainthearts, these women survived jailing, name-calling, and, cruelest of all, having their reputations and accomplishments hidden for decades and even centuries. In addition to the women profiled here, let’s also salute Lady Murasaki Shikubu, the first novelist of any gender, whose novel, The Tale of Genji, depicted court life, love, and adventure in eleventh-century Japan.
The literary laureates are rousing as well, slowly but surely knocking down barriers and opening minds in their wake—and, in this category, let us not forget to acknowledge brilliant Marguerite Yourcenar, the first woman “immortal,” who in 1980 was elected to the French Academy by secret ballot over the objections of one member who memorably claimed, “The Academie has survived over three hundred years without women, and it could survive another three hundred without them.” Aphra Behn, Charles II’s spy, dared to write for a living and expected to be paid for it. (Her work also went unacknowledged for three hundred years as a precursor to the novel.) From Saint Jerome’s uncredited nuns who really “wrote” the Bible to poet-slave Phyllis Wheatley, these first ladies of literature deserve credit for showing us that real inspiration can come only from being true to yourself at any cost.
ENHEDUANNA sacred poet of Sumeria
Any discussion of breakthrough writers must surely begin with Enheduanna, the first recorded writer of either gender. Born into the royal family of Sumeria in the area that in the modern world is known as southern Iraq, she served as high priestess to the moon god and goddess, Nanna and Inanna. Her poem-hymns were written in cuneiform on clay tablets, and they escaped the fate many other documents of the time suffered: disintegrating into forgotten dust. Her portrait, carved on a limestone disc, was discovered in an excavation of the ancient city of Ur.
Her greatest work is the “Hymn to Inanna.” It is difficult to know whether she employed poetic license when she describes being sent into exile during a time of political upheaval. Readers can’t help but notice that the poem “Nin-me-sar-ra” describes how Enheduanna’s prayers to the moon god Nanna went unanswered and how Nanna’s daughter, the moon goddess Inanna, came to her aid, exacting justice and restoring her to her rightful place as priestess. More than four thousand years old, the poem is simple, powerful, and beautiful.
Let it be known! That this is not said of Nanna, it is said of you—his is your greatness. You alone are the High one.
Enheduanna
THE MUSES the nine Greek goddesses of the arts who inspire artists
Calliope, the “Fair Voiced,” is the eldest of Muses and presides over epic poetry.
Clio, the “Proclaimer” and the muse of history, carries a scroll of knowledge.
Erato the “Lovely,” with her lyre, rules over love poetry and mimicry.
Euterpe, the “Giver of Pleasure,” plays a flute. Her domain is music.
Melpomene, the “Songstress,” wears the mask of tragedy, over which she presides.
Polyhymnia is “she of many hymns.” Wearing a veil, she is the muse of sacred poetry.
Terpsichore, “the Whirler,” has the domain of dance.
Thalia, “the Flourishing,” wears the mask of comedy and is the muse of both comedy and idyllic poetry.
Urania, “the Heavenly,” is the astronomer’s muse; she wears a crown of stars and foretells the future through astrology.
The Three Fates determine all our destinies: Clotho spins the thread of life, Lachesis chooses the length and outcome, and Atropos cuts the thread of life.
MARGERY KEMPE medieval autobiographer
Margery Kempe herself is the best source of
