Women in translation

Egalia’s Daughters (original title: Egalias døtre) is a novel by Gerd Brantenberg that was first published in 1977 in Norwegian. The novel is like most of Brantenberg's other work norm-breaking in such a way that it questions the social, existential and erotic position of women in the society. The book has been translated into several languages and is considered a feminist literature classic. The name of the former feminist community Megalia was based partly on the name of this book. (Source: [Wikipedia](

Two Women in One is the story of Bahiah Shaheen, an 18-year-old medical student and daughter of a prominent Egyptian public official. She finds the male students in her class rough, coarse and alien. Her father, too, seems to belong to a race apart, and the young woman has long ceased to be surprised at not being her real self in his presence. But what, she wonders, is this real self? Of one thing she is certain: it is not the hard-working, well-behaved medical student from the comfortable middle-class background familiar to all who know her. One day, while looking at a painting in an exhibition, a stranger engages her in conversation. This proves to be the beginning of Bahiah Shaheen's road to self-discovery and the start of her realization that fulfilment in life is indeed possible. Two Women in One is, in fact, the story of countless women in the Third World, and speaks to their quest for emancipation and dignity. It is a reminder to women everywhere that hope must never yield to despair, that the future can hold brighter promise.

"Cora Sandel ... brings a feminist sensibility and a poignant humor to her tales of women on the edge of society."--Back cover.