The abandoners : on mothers and monsters / Begoña Gómez Urzaiz ; translated by Lizzie Davis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gómez Urzaiz, Begoña, 1980- author.

Contributor:

Davis, Lizzie, 1993- translator.

Standardized Title:

Abandonadoras. English

Language:

English

Spanish

Subjects (All):

Motherhood.

Motherhood in literature.

Mother and child.

Abandoned children.

maternity.

Spanish literature--Translations into English.

Spanish literature.

Genre:

Motherhood in literature.

Physical Description:

245 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

First American edition.

Other Title:

On mothers and monsters

Place of Publication:

New York, N.Y. : W. W. Norton & Company, 2024.

Language Note:

In English, translated from Spanish.

Summary:

"This book explores the complex relationship between motherhood, identity, and societal expectations, focusing on mothers who have abandoned their children. Through analysis of historical, literary, and pop culture examples, the author examines how these mothers are both revered and vilified. The book critiques cultural myths surrounding motherhood, highlighting the emotional toll of societal pressures and offering a nuanced perspective on the tension between personal autonomy and maternal responsibilities."

"What kind of mother abandons her child? During the pandemic, trapped at home with young children and struggling to find creative space to write, journalist Begoña Gómez Urzaiz became fixated on artistic women who overcame both society's condemnation and their own maternal guilt to leave their children - at will or due to economic or other circumstances. The Abandoners is sharp, at times slyly humorous, and always deeply empathetic. Using famous examples such as Ingrid Bergman, Muriel Spark, Doris Lessing, and Maria Montessori as well as fictional ones like Anna Karenina and the many roles of Meryl Streep, and interrogating modern trends like 'momfluencers,' Gómez Urzaiz reveals what our judgement of these women tells us about our judgement of all women." -- Publisher's description.

Contents:

What kind of mother abandons her child?

Muriel Spark: a (male) writer's life

Good bad mothers and bad bad mothers

Gala Dalí and the matter of the magnetic woman

An ogre, a princess, an ass: mothers who leave in Meryl Streep's career

Artisanal motherhood

Ingrid Bergman: a daily sadness

Doris Lessing's third son

Momfluencers and the economy of turbomotherhood

Nora Helmer and Anna Karenina: stray creatures

What if?: the braided songs of Joni Mitchell and Vashti Bunyan

It's the mother's fault

Maria Montessori: the child and the method

Mercè Rodoreda: forest bird

If you have children, mija

The underground conversation.

Notes:

"First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers in 2024"--Title page verso.

Translation of: Las abandonadoras.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-245).

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Jones Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9781324079477

1324079479

OCLC:

1418888269

Publisher Number:

90100619306