Memories of the Second Sex: GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN WOMEN'S WRITING

About the Book:

Memories of the Second Sex stems from the lively, open and even contradictory voices of thinkers - authors and poets - at a seminal that was conceived around the works of celebrated French writer Marguerite Yourcenar.

Focussed on memory, gender and sexuality this scintillating books offers insights rich in depth and sensitivity by women like Urvashi Butalia, Malashri Lal, Rukmini Bhaya Nair and Indira Chowdhury.

An articulation of both the individual and collective reality of women, this book blows away the cobwebs and unveils new vistas even though the medium used is the memory-again both individual and collective of being a woman.

Foreword:

I am pleased to write a foreword to this collection of papers presented in the April 98 seminal "Women's Voice", because it accords me the privilege of introducing a large cross-section of women's voice worth listening to in India today. The fact that "Women's Voices" was conceived around the writings of Marguerite Yourcenar, the celebrated French writer who was the first woman ever to enter the French Academy, further adds to my pleasure.

Born in 1903, Marguerite yourcenar received a non-conformist education, imbibed a lot of Greek and Latin culture, and traveled extensively throughout Europe. She was the quintessential European writer, remaining faithful to the language of her birth, even though she emigrated to America in 1939 fleeing the dark clouds of fascism rolling over the continent.

In the 1920's, Tagore invited her to meet him at Shantiniketan. She eventually came to India in 1983 and people in Delhi still remember her conferences at the Alliance Francaise. By then she had made news by becoming the first woman elected to the 400-year-old French Academy. Marguerite Yourcenar spoke for plurality, difference and freedom. She had said: "There is more than one wisdom in the world, and all of them are necessary. It is quite proper that they alternate."

I am proud indeed that under the auspices of this rare literary master, this encounter focused on memory, gender and sexuality came into existence. This truly multicultural event gave the opportunity ti different heterogeneous women scholars and writers from various parts of India to speak on woman's issues and writing in a lively, open and even contradictory way. It is always wonderful when cultures thus mingle with each other.

This book is culmination of these interactions and I do hope that the written Memories of the Second Sex will remain as memorable as the oral confrontations which took place at the time of the conference.

I would like to thank again the organizers, namely the University of Delhi, the French Cultural Service, the Sahitya Akademi, India Habitat Center and, last but not least, Somaiya Publications.