Milena Kirova. “Biblical Femininity. Mechanisms of construction, politics of representation in the Old Testament”. Stigmati Publishing House & Sofia University Press, Sofia, 2005, 410 p.


The book is a modern interdisciplinary research on the Hebrew Bible which unites knowledge from different areas in the humanities: anthropology, history of religion, psychoanalysis, literary and gender studies… It is thematically focused on the web of female images present there, unveiling and summarizing their most typical positions and social roles: The Prophetess, The Wife, The Harlot, The Wise Woman… The research aims at an archeology of the original meanings, making persistent distinction between them and the effects of later Christian, mainly Western, interpretation. For this purpose it works with the language and the concepts of ancient Hebrew. The book is based upon profound scientific knowledge being at the same time written in an intriguing and sophisticated story-telling way. It was warded the National prize in the humanities “Hristo. G. Danov” for 2005.


Milena Kirova is professor in Bulgarian literature and biblical studies at the University of Sofia. She is author of nine books, some of them such as: “The Dream of the Meduze. Psychoanalysis of Bulgarian Literature”, “Trial of the Symbols”, “The Problematic Realism” became bestsellers. Parts of “Biblical Femininity” have been published in English abroad, as well as many articles of the same author.