The construction of a female "I"

Presentation

Literary history has remembered Lidia Zinovieva-Annibal as the muse of her husband, Vyacheslav Ivanov, a leading figure among the Russian Symbolists, or as the whimsical hostess of “La Tour,” a literary salon that brought together
the cultural elite for discussions on art. Yet she, too, wrote literary works before her life came to a premature end at the age of 41.
Françoise Defarges’s book aptly brings this writer, forgotten by history, back into the spotlight, allowing us to rediscover the power of her sensual and incredibly modern writing in her portrayal of women, their bodies, and their desires. At a time when feminists were fighting for the right to vote, Lidia Zinovieva-Annibal deeply explored identity and the unique nature of being a woman—a perspective that, far from stifling creative capacity, allowed the power of the body to flow into her writing. Nearly a century later, her characters’ questions resonate with our contemporary sensibilities.

Author

Françoise Defarges holds a Ph.D. in Russian literature and is currently an associate member of the CREE (Center for Europe-Eurasia Research) at INALCO. Her research focuses on innovative female writers who have been overlooked at the dawn of the 20th century, particularly the life and work of Lidia Zinovieva-Annibal, and explores questions regarding the female “I” in her literary work.

296 pages
16 x 24 cm
Publication date: 17/09/2026
ISBN: 9782858314904