Overview

As publishers in private printing presses, as writers of dissident texts and as political campaigners against censorship and for intellectual freedom, a radical group of twentieth-century Irish women formed a female-only coterie to foster women’s writing and maintain a public space for professional writers. This book documents the activities of the Women Writers’ Club (1933–1958), exploring its ethos, social and political struggles, and the body of works created and celebrated by its members. Examining the period through a history of the book approach, it covers social events, reading committees, literary prizes, publishing histories, modernist printing presses, book fairs, reading practices, and the various political philosophies shared by members of the Club. It reveals how professional women writers deployed their networks and influence to carve out a space for their writing in the cultural marketplace, collaborating with other artistic groups to fight for creative freedoms and the right to earn a living by the pen. The book paints a vivid portrait of the Women Writers’ Club, showcasing their achievements and challenging existing orthodoxy on the role of women in Irish literary life.

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9781802073676

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Reviews

‘The book is a triumph of archival detective work… Brady’s history chronicles a space laboriously carved out by twenty-five years of wit, courage and cunning… It is a finely drawn, rich and illuminating history, and offers significant insights into the relationship between women’s social networks, cultural activism, and sexual dissidence with implications far beyond mid-twentieth century Ireland.’ Gerardine Meaney, Irish University Review

Author Information

Deirdre Brady is a lecturer at Mary Immaculate College, Ireland.

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