Abortion:
a personal story, a political choice
Translated by Caitlin O’Neil
Overview
‘How better to honour the women who have fought for abortion rights, those who are still fighting around the world, those who have suffered from its illegality, those who still suffer from its limitations, than to continue to talk about it?’
In this timely essay, Pauline Harmange provides an intimate, detailed account of her abortion. Reminiscent of Annie Ernaux’s Happening, Abortion is nuanced, complex, honest, and precise. Harmange gives voice to the emotions, reflections, and contradictions that someone could experience when they choose to terminate a pregnancy.
At a time in which women’s reproductive rights are being called into question around the world, Abortion is a clarion call, a powerful personal testimony, and a resolutely political vision: to restore power to our experiences, all our experiences, by sharing them, and to transform society for the better.
Details
- Format
- Size
- Extent
- ISBN
- RRP
- Pub date
- Rights held
- Other rights
- Hardback
- 198mm x 129mm
- 96 pages
- 9781761380020
- AUD$19.99
- 4 April 2023
- World English
- Éditions Darronnes
Praise
‘In this personal essay, [Harmane] explores the need for a space in which women are free to talk about the feelings of ambivalence, negativity, sadness and insecurity that can follow an abortion. When she decided to undergo this procedure because of her economic circumstances, she thought it would be “quick and easy, over and done”. But it wasn’t that simple. While she didn’t regret it, she still had to live with the legacy of society’s attitudes toward the termination of pregnancy and her own body’s visceral response. Her candid ruminations add valuable nuance to this fraught debate.’
‘In this nuanced account, Harmange (I Hate Men) reflects on her decision to have an abortion … She uses her story as a launching pad to explore the politics of abortion and laments that taboo inhibits frank discussion of the “feelings of ambiguity, negativity, sadness, and insecurity” that can accompany the procedure … Harmange excels at illuminating intersections between the personal and the political, and her willingness to probe her own pain makes for powerful reading. Timely and affecting, this packs a punch.’
About the Author
Pauline Harmange (born 1995) is a French feminist writer and self-declared misandrist who became the subject of international news coverage after her 96-page essay I Hate Men sold out its press run after a French governmental official attempted to censor the book. She lives in Lille.
Translator
Caitlin O’Neil is a literary publicist and translator from the French, based in Minneapolis, USA. She is also the translator of Corinne Hoex’s Gentlemen Callers (Dalkey Archive Press, 2022), and her translations have appeared in Literary Hub, Southwest Review, and Asymptote Journal. Find her online at www.CaitlinONeil.me.
