Eva Figes

Often described as a feminist author, Eva Figes (b. 1932) has written at least fourteen works of fiction and six of nonfiction, including the "feminist classic" Patriarchal Attitudes:  Women in Society.  She spent her childhood in Berlin and, in 1939, traveled to England as a refugee.  Since then, she has lived in London.  She graduated with honors from London's Queen Mary's College in 1953.  Figes worked in the publishing industry until 1967 when she became a full-time writer and translator.  Her most recent novel, The Knot, was published in 1996.

Figes' novels are often characterized as "experimental," a counterpoint to the realistic tradition of mainstream British literature.  Her novels tend to focus on the inner turmoil experienced by female characters set adrift from conventional life.  Figes mastered the ability to create a sense of psychological dread, a fact that might make her work too downbeat for readers looking for a sunnier, more life-affirming view of the world.  Figes cites Kafka as a source of her inspiration and his influence on her work is evident, as are the writings of Virginia Woolf.

This is Eva Figes' bibliography.

The Eva Figes novels reviewed on the Tzer Island book blog are:

Nelly's Version - her excellent 1977 novel about a woman who finds herself at an inn, uncertain of her own identity, with no memory of how she arrived there.

The Tenancy - a 1993 angst-driven novel about a tenant battling forces beyond her control.