A Woman

The heartbreaking autobiographical novel that paved the way for feminist writers in Italy.

'Women were certainly not yet mistresses of themselves. Would they ever be?'

First published in 1906, this semi-autobiographical novel is a key text for understanding Italian women's writing of the twentieth century and offers a tremendous insight into fin de si?cle Italian life and its social issues.

Aleramo's astonishing account takes the reader across a tormented journey of self affirmation - from the narrator's loss of innocence, grief and isolation, enlightenment then emancipation - offering a strikingly clear self-analysis and a vibrant depiction of the early feminist movement in Italy. It is a captivating Bildungsroman whose endpoint is a new, emancipated female identity.

About the Author

Sibilla Aleramo, pseudonym of Marta Felicina Faccio, was an Italian author, best known for producing some of the first feminist writing in Italy and for her autobiographical depictions of life as a woman in late 19th century Italy. Born in Alessandria in 1876, Aleramo lived a tormented life and - according to her biographers - she argued she lived three lives. The first, as a mother and wife, which she explored in her first novel Una Donna (A Woman). The second, as an active player in feminist organisations in Italy. And the third, as an exploration of her life experiences through her writing.