Happy Women's Month !

For this International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate every woman—from fearless heroines to brilliant authors—and honor the muses and artists who fill our souls with passion, creativity, and resilience. So, here’s a selection of female authors we appreciate!

But first… let’s put International Women’s Day into context:

International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8th, is a day to recognize women’s achievements, regardless of skin color or social class. The date was chosen in connection to a significant moment in history. Long story short, during a wartime strike in 1917, Russian women demanded “bread and peace,” leading to major social and political changes. However, the origins of this day go back even further. In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City, demanding shorter working hours, better pay, and the right to vote. The idea of making it an international event came from Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and advocate for women’s rights.

Here are the writers we want to highlight today:

Ottessa Moshfegh

Ottessa Moshfegh is an American writer of Iranian and Croatian descent, known for her unsettling and psychologically complex novels. Her work often explores themes of isolation, identity, and the darker aspects of human nature. Moshfegh is particularly notable for her unflinching portrayals of female protagonists who are often flawed, disillusioned, or seeking escape from societal norms. They’re not perfect women—they’re sometimes despicable, and that’s what makes them so compelling.

She is best known for her novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018), a darkly comic story about a young woman attempting to sleep for an entire year to disconnect from the world. She also wrote Death in Her Hands, which delves into an elderly woman’s intrusive thoughts. But let’s not go into too much detail—be curious and step into the psycho-horror, unhinged world of Ottessa Moshfegh, where women challenge stereotypes and embrace their "unlikable" sides.

She also collaborated with Prada on a series of short stories inspired by a photoshoot, featuring female characters described as “stories about women written by a woman.”

Mieko Kawakami

A Japanese novelist and former singer-songwriter, Mieko Kawakami is known for her poetic yet accessible style. Her most acclaimed novel, Breasts and Eggs, explores themes of womanhood, body autonomy, and the societal expectations women face in contemporary Japan. She beautifully captures the complex relationships women have with their bodies across generations, offering perspectives from both a teenage girl and women in their thirties.

Eliza Clark

Eliza Clark is a British novelist whose books Boy Parts and Penance engage with feminist themes in a sharp, subversive way. Rather than presenting traditional narratives of empowerment, she explores the darker, messier sides of womanhood—obsession, violence, and societal expectations. Her protagonists defy the notion that female characters must be morally upright, instead challenging literary gender norms and stereotypes. Her work doesn’t just depict women; it interrogates the ways they are seen, judged, and policed—making her one of the most compelling and subversive voices in contemporary literature.

In Conclusion

These authors bring subversive, thought-provoking perspectives to literature, each offering a unique take on womanhood. Whether through psychological depth, introspection, or raw defiance, their books provide powerful narratives about women's lives, struggles, and triumphs.

Here are links if you want to know more about this important day:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-64723201

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Activity/15586/The-history-of-IWD

And here is a link if you want to read more about feminism and women literature :

 

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2904?ref=WHM25_eb