A History of Armenian Women’s Writing, 1880-1922, Victoria Rowe (softcover)

Victoria Rowe’s book explores the literary output of six Armenian women writers—Srpouhi Dussap (1841-1901), Sibyl (1863-1934), Mariam Khatisian (1845-1914), Marie Beylerian (1880-1915), Shushanik Kurghinian (1876-1927), and Zabel Yessayan (1878-1942)—within the context of the Armenian intellectual and cultural movement known as the Zartonk (Awakening) in the waning of the Ottoman and Russian Empires. In addition to analyses of each author’s contribution to the pressing issues of the day, including women’s rights, national development and the problem of state-sponsored violence, the volume provides biographical information on each writer and examines the cultural institutions—the school, the periodical press, the philanthropic organization, and the salon—which made Armenian women’s entry into the literary and intellectual spheres possible.