In this space, we pay homage to the women writers who have lived, written, fought and inspired throughout the centuries, and have shaped literature and given form to new visions of the world.
Each month of the year is dedicated to a woman writer born on the first day of that month, symbolically elected as a guide and inspiration for the following weeks.
Through a brief biography and reading suggestions chosen to delve deeper into the work of the writer of the month, the themes dear to her or the historical and cultural context in which she lived, we invite you to discover the female literary heritage and each month to listen to a different but equally powerful voice.
The month of May is dedicated to the Canadian-born American writer Mary MacLane
1st May 1881 – 6th August 1929
On May 1st, the writer Mary MacLane was born in Winnipeg, Canada. She wrote autobiographical novels in a bold literary style that was harshly criticized in her time. Her first novel “The Story of Mary MacLane” (“I Await the Devil’s Coming” is the original title) was a huge success despite the criticism. Structured like a diary, Mary exposed her thoughts as a young avant-garde woman, looking for an escape from the small reality of the place where she lived. In 1917, the writer also starred in the silent film “Men Who Have Made Love to Me” based on one of her novels, “I, Mary MacLane: A Diary of Human Days”.
Recommended readings of the month:
– I Await the Devil’s Coming by Mary MacLane
– Mary MacLane: Herself by Michael Brown
– Human Days: A Mary MacLane Reader by Mary MacLane