The iconic women in this list have used the power of words to inspire, persuade, and protest. They have lit the literary world on fire and continue to burn in readers’ hearts worldwide.
Yumiko Kurahashi
The short stories by Yumiko Kurahashi blend her absurdist imagination with a smart mix of literary traditions. You can expect to be transported from a Greek tragedy into a Noh drama in the space of a single short story. “The Woman With the Flying Head” is a collection of 11 stories. Some are mischievous and playful, and others are downright creepy. All of them are wildly intellectual explorations of concepts and creative and carnal desires.
Audre Lorde
This West Indian writer was born in the United States in the early 1930s. She identified as a black lesbian feminist and was outspoken as an activist against racism, homophobia, sexism, and classism. Her work features fire, witches, unicorns, snails eating dead snakes, eroticism, and cancer. “From a Land Where Other People Live” is an excellent collection showcasing her political work.
Margaret Atwood
Known for writing “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Margaret Atwood explores dystopian realities that are often disturbingly similar to real-life events. Born in Canada, Atwood taught English literature at various Canadian and American universities. In 2016, she won the PEN Pinter Prize for the spirit of political activism threading through her life and literary achievements.
If you still need to read The Handmaid’s Tale, do so, but remember that she has other awe-inspiring works, like “In Oryx and Crake.” In this award-winning novel, Atwood describes a plague-induced apocalypse told from the point of view of the only survivor.
Jamaica Kincaid
Jamaica Kincaid was born in Antigua but moved to the United States, where she worked as an au pair and studied. She began her writing career with intense politically-fuelled pieces for The New Yorker. Kincaid’s deceptively simple style perfectly communicates her deep feelings about cultural struggles and families.
She speaks out against the continuing effects of colonial domination and about the failures of families, especially mothers. The characters in Kincaid’s novels often experience psychological predicaments, usually family based. “The Autobiography of My Mother” is a disturbing and stirring example of Kincaid’s finest work.
Ayn Rand
Born as Alisa Rosenbaum, Ayn Rand is a Russian-American author most famous for “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.” In both novels, she explores capitalism and philosophy. What made her a notable author is that she is so controversial and usually gets an extreme response. Readers either love Rand or can’t stand her.
While “Atlas Shrugged” clearly delivers a strong message that pushes capitalism, one can argue that “The Fountainhead” is about love and passion for a life calling. No matter the message, Rand produced well-written books that are excellent material for a debate.
Janet Frame
Born to a large, poor farming family in New Zealand, Janet Frame was no stranger to hardship. Her brother had epilepsy, two of her sisters drowned as teenagers, and Frame was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She spent most of her 20s receiving electroshock therapy in psychiatric hospitals.
Frame narrowly escaped a lobotomy when a collection of her short stories won a literary prize. It’s called “The Lagoon and Other Stories.” After her release, Frame changed her name, moved to Europe, and began writing about her experiences of being hospitalized.
Toni Morrison
Born in the United States to a working-class family, Toni Morrison used fantasy, mythical elements, and poetic voice to produce hauntingly touching books. Although “Beloved” is essential, you should also read “The Bluest Eye,” in which Morrisson deeply explores race and identity. She became the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
Joy Harjo
A member of the Creek Nation, Joy Harjo‘s name is rumored to mean “so brave she’s crazy.” Harjo survived an oppressive childhood, teenage pregnancy, and domestic abuse before becoming known as a spirited poet and author. Her work paints wild, natural imagery and urgent social activism. You should read “Poet Warrior” to get a vivid and lyrical insight into the Creek Nation and Harjo’s life as a Creek woman.
Ursula Le Guin
Ursula Le Guin was so much more than a science fiction writer. She used speculative fiction to explore topics like gender, religion, and social issues aimed at people of all ages. “The Earthsea Quartet” and “The Left Hand of Darkness” are famous worldwide, but Le Guin’s short stories also deserve attention. You can read some of the best in a collection called “The Unreal and the Real.”
Forugh Farrokhzad
This Iranian poet was the first Persian woman to write explicitly about sexuality. It is rumored that Farrokhzad prophesied her early death in a car crash in the poem “Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season,” a must-read.
