Research project
Women Writers Route
The International Foundation Forum of Slavic Cultures is the initiator and organizer of the new cultural route of the Council of Europe, dedicated to the European women writers. Women writers pre-empted gender quality, as we know it and respect today, set by Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by the European Convention on Human Rights and recently, by the PEN Charter and Women’s Manifesto.
The Women Writers Route will bring into the limelight the outstanding life stories and literary works, which marked the struggle for human and women’s rights in the 20th century. Their uniqueness and role in the history and cultural heritage of the entire Slavic and European region was important, yet never truly recognized.
The Women Writers Route is an extremely narrative way of revealing their life and creativity. It links the symbolic and physical points of their lives and work between museums, memorial rooms, reading rooms, public monuments, cafes and other public spaces. In addition to the scientific and cultural field, the road will also enrich local communities and tourist attractions, creative industry, gastronomy and cultural tourism.
Scientific volume entitled Defiant Trajectories: Mapping out Slavic Women Writers Routes sheds light on various aspects of the work and life stories of nine women writers and poets from the Slavic world: Marija Jurić Zagorka and Ivana Brlić Mažuranić from Croatia, Divna Veković from Montenegro, famous Russian authors Anna Akhmatova, Marina Tsvetaeva and Zinaida Gippius, Maria Konopnicka from Poland, Jelena Dimitrijević from Serbia and Slovenian Zofka Kveder. Papers in the volume, which are extended research papers presented at the conference Women Writers at the Turn of 19th and 20th Century, organized by the FSK 2019 in Ljubljana, are connected by a common thread of crossing actual and symbolic boundaries set for women, and especially creative women, by the social norms of their time. “Therefore, mapping the paths of women writers is not only creating maps, which we then follow and by doing so enrich and deepen our knowledge of female literary authorship, but what is more, by following their footsteps we celebrate women’s strength, innovation, and creativity,” wrote the editors of the volume Biljana Dojčinović, Maša Grdešić and Katja Mihurko Poniž in the introduction to the book. The authors will present the proceedings at an online event at the end of March.
Why new cultural route?
Because the Women Writers Route will:
- Open brand-new pages of the European cultural and democratic history;
- Enable and broaden rich scientific, cultural and tourist exploration of women’s literature in the context of European history, identity and values;
- Enhance visibility, significance, contribution and reputation of women writers to European culture and European history of human rights and democracy;
- Offer inspirational presentations, dynamic stories and attractive cultural and tourist content;
- Encourage constructive thought, initiate public debate and strengthen democratic practice
- Include access to heritage that is far more experiential and active than a passive approach in creating experiences, training and socialization.
JOIN IN!
Join the Women Writers Route and help us shed a new light on the valuable contribution of women writers to European history and culture. Become a friend or a member of the network, support women literary heritage and enjoy a range of unique activities and benefits.
Feel free to contact us!
source: Women Writers Route – Forum of Slavic Cultures (fsk.si)