Surrealist Women
Surrealist Women: An International Anthology is an anthology edited by Penelope Rosemont. It was published by University of Texas Press in 1998.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
The anthology is a chronological presentation of surrealist writing by women, including poetry, tales, theory, responses to inquiries, critiques, declarations, etc.[1][2][6] 97 women are represented,[3][6] from 30 countries[6] in Western and Eastern Europe, including Sweden, Moravia, and Corsica; North and South America, including Argentina; the Caribbean; the Middle East (e.g. Iraq); and Australia.[3][5] The editor provides an introductory essay to each of the six chronological periods into which the anthology is organised (1924-1929; 1930-1939; 1940-1945; 1946-1959; the years surrounding May '1968'; and the present),[3] and short biographies/bibliographies about each woman.[3][5] Two thirds of the works had not previously been included in an anthology, and many had not been republished since their first appearance.[5]
Reviewers considered that the anthology "has the characteristics of a classic. .. it is a book that will be definitive and delightful for many years to come";[5] it "not only adds to our knowledge of specific writers, but changes our understanding of surrealist art."[2] In her introduction, Rosemont disputes some commonly held misconceptions about surrealism, including that it was sexist and did not encourage women's participation.[3] Instead, she presents a case that "surrealism was both accepting of and tremendously influenced by women members",[2] and their obscurity was due to critics, not male members of the surrealist movement.[2]
One reviewer observed that "By the penultimate chapter a lot of the names of the women are familiar; we have read their work and delighted in their growth since their first appearance in this anthology. ... As each section examines a period separately .. the same names re-occur in different groupings, different guises. ... as the names shuffle about, the events, countries, times and mediums alter; then there is achieved this dream-like quality within the infrastructure of the book. Surrealism emerges unbidden!"[5]