Women Writers in German-Speaking Countries: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook

(Hardback)

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Description

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. This reference book contains alphabetically arranged entries for 54 Austrian, German and Swiss women writers - such as Louise Aston, Hrotsvit von Gandersheim, Elfriede Jelinek and Erica Pedretti - from the 10th-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.

Reviews

"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
[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
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
The largest, most widely-spanning reference work to offer such a wealth of information of these women.-Translation Review
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
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
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
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
"An 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
"[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
"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
"The largest, most widely-spanning reference work to offer such a wealth of information of these women."-Translation Review
"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
"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
"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

Author Bio

ELKE P. FREDERIKSEN is Professor of German at the University of Maryland/College Park. Her many publications include Women Writers of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: An Annotated Bio-Bibliographical Guide (Greenwood, 1989). ELIZABETH G. AMETSBICHLER is Assistant Professor of German at the University of Montana.