Publisher's Synopsis
This anthology examines significant work by over 200 women, some of it translated specifically for this project and available in English for the first time, from more than 50 countries.;The contents are arranged chronologically - by date of the writer's birth - and each selection is prefaced by an introduction to the life and the work of its author. The literary history of the geographical areas represented is set in context, each with an essay and bibliography prepared by an editorial board.;There is coverage of significant ethnic traditions within certain geographic areas: Hispanic, Black, Amerindian, Asian-American, Acadian, Fenno-Swedish, Maori, Catalan, plus under-represented litarary traditions of Turkey, China, Greece, Portugal, the Middle East, Russia, New Zealand, and Italy.;The introduction introduces readers to the major literary-critical debates; discusses such issues as "aesthetic criteria/patriarchal aesthetics", "women and the literary canon", the issues of language and translation; and the role of women in the international literary scene.
