Two Women (Semiotext(e) / Native Agents)

The fictionalized, intertwining lives of two remarkable figures whose stories trace the contours of the twentieth century.

In Two Women, Jacqueline Rose fictionalizes and intertwines the lives of two remarkable figures whose stories trace the contours of the twentieth century: Edith Stein, the German–Jewish philosopher, Catholic convert, and saint; and Gillian Rose, philosopher of German–Jewish thought, also a convert, and Jacqueline’s sister. Through a luminous weaving of fiction and history, Rose traces the parallels and distances between these women—their intellect, faith, suffering and courage—while also confronting the mysteries of love, loss, and belonging that shape every human life.

A deeply moving work, Two Women is at once an act of remembrance and a daring work of imagination by one of the most important feminist writers of our time.