Reflections on the challenges of writing women’s lives, 25 June 2022
On 25 June 2022, the West of England and South Wales Women's History Network held a study morning on the theme of writing women's lives. Karen Hunt, Julia Neville and Lucienne Boyce gave short presentations, followed by discussion. Jane Howells describes the event and some of the questions raised... Karen Hunt: Dora Montefiore, socialist, suffragist, writer and poet Karen Hunt introduced us to Dora Montefiore (1851-1933), about whom she has been researching and writing for many years, without producing a ‘book’. Much of the work has been responding to conference themes which direct, distort and distract; this inevitably results in a partial view of a life. Striking a balance between narrative and analysis is always a challenge. Dora Montefiore Dora Montefiore was a socialist, then communist, and active suffrage campaigner, writer and poet. She lived at times in Australia and South Africa, where there are sources for her life, and she travelled widely. There is no survivin