Home 5 News 5 George Eliot among 25 female writers being republished using their real names

George Eliot among 25 female writers being republished using their real names

by | Aug 20, 2020 | News

Works of 25 female novelists who used to write with male pseudonyms, including Vctorian-era Mary Ann Evans known as George Eliot, will be re-published using their real names.

Under the project “Reclaim Her Name” by the Women’s Prize for Fiction in celebration of the award’s 25th anniversary, pseudonymous authors include George Sand, Mary Bright known as George Egerton, Fatemeh Farahani, known as Shahein Farahani, and Julia Constance Fletcher known as George Fleming.

The chosen novels span genres, from science fiction to horror, and their authors are just as diverse, hailing from countries including Japan, France and Iran.

The 25 novels are being offered as e-books, which are free to download via the prize’s sponsor, Baileys. Physical box sets of the republished titles will also be donated to libraries across the UK.

Evans was the literary force behind the great novels, “Middlemarch” but for much of her life known by George Eliot, which she adopted to conceal her gender at a time when women were excluded from intellectual circles.

Her secret identity became a source of widespread speculation in Victorian England after several of her stories, published under the George Eliot pen name, gained popularity.

Evans longed to write back and come clean, lamenting to her publisher that “the iron mask of my incognito seems quite painful”. The following year, people began misattributing her work to various individuals and the secret began leaking from her inner circle, leading the author to reluctantly reveal her identity.

Other novels chosen include “Marie of the Cabin Club” by Ann Petry, the first African American woman to sell more than a million copies of a book, under the pseudonym Arnold Petri.

Also featured is “Indiana”, the work of Amantine Aurore Dupin, known as George Sand, one of 19th-century boldest European writers. She wore men’s clothing, smoked tobacco in public and was rumored to have female lovers.

Source: CNN

Recent News

18Feb
Ian Chapman to Step Down as S&S UK CEO in May

Ian Chapman to Step Down as S&S UK CEO in May

After 25 years at Simon & Schuster, Ian Chapman, who serves as CEO and publisher of Simon & Schuster UK & International, will depart in May.   Chapman, who became CEO in 2013, has led publishing, editorial, marketing, and sales operations in the UK, Australia and India. His title-marked years were majorly growthy; for 2022 and 2023, Simon […]

18Feb
IPA Condemns Attack on Publisher at Bangladesh Book Fair

IPA Condemns Attack on Publisher at Bangladesh Book Fair

The International Publishers Association (IPA) has condemned an attack on publisher Sabyasachi’s stand at the Amar Ekushey book fair in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Extremists were protesting at the presence of books by author Taslima Nasrin, the Bangladeshi writer who is known for her work on women’s oppression and criticism of religion.  Some of her books are […]

18Feb
AI and Copyright: Key Takeaways from the AI Action Summit

AI and Copyright: Key Takeaways from the AI Action Summit

Artificial Intelligence (AI) remains the issue of the moment.  The former chief executive of Google, Erich Smidt proposes a balance between government oversight of AI development and over-regulation of the sector.   He told the BBC: “The truth is that AI and the future is largely going to be built by private compaanies.  It’s really […]

Related Posts

IPA Condemns Attack on Publisher at Bangladesh Book Fair

IPA Condemns Attack on Publisher at Bangladesh Book Fair

The International Publishers Association (IPA) has condemned an attack on publisher Sabyasachi's stand at the Amar Ekushey book fair in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Extremists were protesting at the presence of books by author Taslima Nasrin, the Bangladeshi writer who is...

AI and Copyright: Key Takeaways from the AI Action Summit

AI and Copyright: Key Takeaways from the AI Action Summit

Artificial Intelligence (AI) remains the issue of the moment.  The former chief executive of Google, Erich Smidt proposes a balance between government oversight of AI development and over-regulation of the sector.   He told the BBC: “The truth is that AI and the...

International Interest in Newly Discovered Joan Didion Manuscript

International Interest in Newly Discovered Joan Didion Manuscript

There is strong international interest in a new book by the celebrated American writer and journalist Joan Didion who died in 2021.  Entitled Notes to John, the manuscript was discovered in a portable filing cabinet next to her desk after her death.  The book is a...

Previous Next
Close
Test Caption
Test Description goes like this

Pin It on Pinterest