25 famous writers to include more women in your reading

Reading books written by women is an important way to give them a voice and see the world represented by a different perspective that is not always male. In view of this, meet 25 famous writers who produced various literary genres.

Writers for romance lovers

In Brazil and in the world there are writers who produce excellent novels, many of them awarded. If you like long narratives, check out some authors below:

1. Jane Austen

The English writer Jane Austen (1775-1817) is one of the few women among the classics. Her novels are notable for the irony that exists primarily in the description of the characters. The author lived in a period when education for women was extremely rare: they were raised for marriage and to serve their husbands. But Austen grew up in a house where there was a tutor, her father, and this helped her to develop her intellectuality. The writer’s novels talk about social relationships marked by intrigue, pride, prejudice, forced marriages, among other subjects.

To know:

• Pride and Prejudice (1813);
• Emma (1815);
• Persuasion (1818) – posthumous.

2. Maria Firmina dos Reis

The author Maria Firmina dos Reis (1822-1917) was the first Brazilian novelist. A black woman, who was born in Maranhão and wrote during Romanticism, a period when literature was mostly a space for rich white men. In addition, she was the first to found a mixed and free school for children and was an abolitionist. Her productions were and still are largely ignored by literary critics, but they resisted and gradually reach our hands. She also wrote poems and short stories.

To know:

• Ursula (1859);
• Gupeva (1861).

3. Virginia Woolf

The writer Virgina Woolf (1882-1941) is one of the most important writers of the 20th century, especially for making use of the stream of consciousness in her narratives. The British author has written novels, but has also published a number of important essays, exponents of feminist thought. In “A Teto All Yours” (1929), for example, she discusses the need for women writers to conquer their space in a universe dominated by men. It is from this book the famous phrase: “A woman must have money and a roof all her own if she wants to write fiction”.

To know:

• Mrs. Dalloway (1925);
• Orlando (1928);
• The Waves (1931).

4. Clarice Lispector

It is difficult to say whether Clarice Lispector (1920-1977) fits more as a short story writer or novelist, since she produced both genres with mastery. Ukrainian and naturalized Brazilian, she is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Her novels have an intimate and introspective character, the writer brought to literature a representation of thought in a non-linear, freer and more disordered way. Among the fundamental aspects of her works are epiphany and estrangement.

To know:

• Close to the Wild Heart (1943);
• The Apple in the Dark (1961);
• The passion according to GH (1964);
• The Hour of the Star (1977).

5. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Internationally known, Nigerian Chimamanda N. Adiche (1977) is one of the greatest writers of the 21st century, an icon for women who write. Her novels address topics such as race, racism, migration, identity issues and family relationships. In addition, the author is known for her speeches and books about feminism and the danger of a single story, that is, of having access to only one version of historical facts.

To know:

• Purple Hibiscus (2003);
• Yellow Half Sun (2006);
• Americanah (2009).

Writers for those who like short stories

If you’re a fan of a little faster reading, short story books are interesting. They are shorter narratives, but not necessarily less dense than novels. Check out some of the main short-story authors:

6. Silvina Ocampo

The author Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993) is Argentinian and representative of the production of fantastic literature, which focuses on the unusual. She wrote short stories and poems, however her works came to us recently, as the writer had her career overshadowed by that of her sister and husband. She was friends with Jorge Luis Borges, who considered her an important author in Argentina.

To know:

• Travel Forgotten (1937);
• A furia e outros contos (2019) – a collection of his main short stories in a Brazilian edition.

7. Lygia Fagundes Telles

Lygia Fagundes Telles (1923) is a Brazilian modernist writer, member of the Academia Paulista de Letras (APL) and the Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL). She wrote novels and short stories, but is often remembered for her shorter narratives. She received the Camões Prize for her work in 2015 for being considered one of the most important names in Portuguese-language literature. Roughly speaking, her tales tirelessly explore the representation of women as a character, experiencing complex dilemmas and situations.

To know:

• Before the Green Ball (1970);
• Rats Seminar (1977);
• Mysteries (1981);
• Invention and memory (2000).

8. Nélida Piñon

The carioca Nélida Piñon (1937) is also one of these authors who wrote several literary genres, but stood out for her production of short stories. In general, the author’s production focuses on women tied to social conventions, having roles determined by their gender. Currently, the writer is also part of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL), being the first woman to preside it, between 1996 and 1997.

To know:

• Fruit Time (1966);
• The Heat of Things (1980);
• The husband’s shirt (2014).

9. Conceição Evaristo

Maria da Conceição Evaristo (1946) is a teacher, researcher and professor from Minas Gerais who gives voice to black people through her literary texts, whether novels, short stories or poems. Her stories represent the black woman and her ancestry, especially in a daily life permeated by pain, loss and violence. Powerful women who, even in hostile moments, find strength, desire and joy to survive.

To know:

• Unsubmissive Tears of Women (2011);
• Olhos d’água (2014);
• History of slight mistakes and similarities (2016).

10. Natalia Borges Polesso

The writer from Rio Grande do Sul Natália Borges Polesso is a researcher, translator and author of books of short stories, poems and novels, but is better known as a short story writer. His short stories have already received the Açorianos (2013) and Jabuti (2016) awards. In general, the author is recognized above all for giving visibility to homosexual relationships in the narratives.

To know:

• Clippings for a photo album without people (2013);
• Amora (2016).

Writers for those who love poetry

If you like to read poems and see poetry wherever you go, this topic is for you. Meet some amazing poets that are always read and reread.

11. Florbela Espanca

The poet Florbela Espanca (1894-1930) is one of the biggest names in Portuguese poetry. She wrote on varied themes, such as love, eroticization, anguish and suffering, always emphasizing women in her works. She was one of the first women to attend the Men’s Lyceum André de Gouveia, in Évora, the first to study Law at the University of Lisbon, in addition to having a degree in Letters.

To know:

• Book of Sorrows (1919);
• Sor saudade’s book (1923);
• Moor in Bloom (1931).

12. Cecília Meireles

Considered one of the main Brazilian poets, Cecília Meireles (1901-1964) produced poetry with a more intimate aspect, different from the social literature of the 2nd modernist generation. In general, her poems are about loneliness, melancholy, escape through dreams, reinvention of life, the emptiness of existing and homesickness.

To know:

• Romanceiro da Inconfidência (1953);
• Songs (1956);
• Either This or That (1964).

13. Hilda Hilst

The writer Hilda Hilst (1930-2004) has a vast production, ranging from dramaturgy to poetry, but undoubtedly her poems are most striking for many readers. In her poetic work, she addressed some taboos, such as female desire, sex, sexual freedom and even questions about God.

To know:

• Jubilo, memory, novitiate of passion (1974);
• Cursed, Joyful and Devout Poems (1984);
• Of Desire (1992).

14. Ana Cristina César

The author Ana Cristina César (1952-1983), in addition to writing poems, worked as a literary critic and translator. He belonged to a movement called Poesia Marginal in the 70s, which changed the way of thinking and producing poetry in Brazil, valuing a colloquial language, giving voice to minorities and replacing the traditional means of circulation of books for alternative means, such as the mimeograph.

To know:

• Kid’s Gloves (1980);
• At Your Feet (1982);
• Unpublished and Scattered (1985).

15. Ryane Leão

The poet Rayne Leão is from Cuiabá, but based in São Paulo. She started by spreading her poems through lambe-lambe. Then in soirees and slams. After publishing her texts in books, she achieved even more success, especially on social media.

To know:

• Everything in It Shines and Burns (2017);
• Never Apologize for Spilling Me Out (2019).

Writers for those who like romantic stories

For those who like love stories, full of romance, disagreements, happy and even tragic endings, the following list is a must:

16. Emily Bronte

Emily Brontë (1818-1848) was a British novelist and poet, author of classics of world literature. For a long time, she wrote under the male pseudonym Ellis Bell, as there was little room for female production. She had a difficult life, lost part of her family to typhoid fever and lived in unsanitary conditions. Thus, she took refuge in writing. His literary texts were full of love stories and intrigues.

To know:

• Poems (1846);
• Wuthering Heights (1847).

17. Rainbow Rowell

American author Rainvow Rowell (1973) has published novels for teenagers and adults. More than approaching romantic relationships, her works talk about sexuality and mishaps that all couples go through.

To know:

• Attachments (2011);
• Eleanor & Park (2013);
• Links (2014).

18. Stephanie Perkins

One of the best selling story writers in the world today, Stephanie Perkins has written love stories, especially for teenagers, although they are engaging for all ages. Furthermore, she also released horror books.

To know:

• Anna and the French Kiss (2010);
• Lola and the Boy Next Door (2011);
• Isla and the Happy Ending (2014).

19. Jojo Moyes

Journalist and writer Jojo Moyes (1969) is a bestselling author translated into more than 20 languages. Her novels are engaging, featuring stories permeated by new loves, long-distance relationships, betrayals and even obsessions, that is, themes that are very present in everyday life.

To know:

• How I Was Before You (2012);
• The Girl You Left Behind (2012);
• After You (2015).

20. Jenny Han

Writer Jenny Han (1980) is American, has a background in creative writing and has published children’s and young adult books, but they are suitable for all ages. Her books talk a lot about discovering love and many of her characters are Korean. She has already won the America Prize for Literature, in the Young Adult category 2015-2016…