Hardly a Room of One’s Own. Gender and Collaborative Writing in the Prewar Romanian Novel
Hardly a Room of One’s Own. Gender and Collaborative Writing in the Prewar Romanian Novel

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the early contributions of Romania’s first women novelists, who frequently collaborated with male writers in their literary endeavours. Prior to the 19th century, women were almost entirely excluded from public discourse, facing significant barriers to participation in both literary and broader intellectual domains. It was not until the latter half of the century that women began to gain limited representation, often facilitated by their connections to prominent men, either as daughters or wives, or through intellectual exchanges with male contemporaries. Figures such as Sofia Nădejde, Adela Xenopol, and Constanța Dunca-Șchiau exemplify this dynamic, reflecting the way familial or social ties often provided the initial platform for their literary presence (Baghiu 2021; Moroșan 2022). The gradual incorporation of social and political themes into female-authored novels during the pre-war period, where mostly sentimental novels were emerging, parallels the broader sociopolitical instability and the systemic under-representation of women (Cohen 1999). This tentative engagement with social and political narratives may also reflect the fear of public ostracism and severe criticism, which likely compelled many women to collaborate with male authors as a strategic approach to gain credibility and avoid marginalization (Gârdan 2018). Working around the novels of V.A Urechia and Marie Boucher, as well as the writer duo Olteo (Olimpia Teodoru) and Doru Teodoru, this paper aims to investigate the driving forces behind these collaborations and the broader implications for women’s representation in Romanian literature during this period. Alternatively, this paper seeks to explore whether women novelists who lacked connections to prominent male literary figures had any realistic prospects of gaining recognition or achieving success in the pre-war Romanian literary scene. By delving into the socio-cultural and literary dynamics of the era, the article examines the extent to which independence from male networks or patronage influenced the visibility and reception of female-authored works during this formative period in Romanian literature.

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