The Difficult Women Book Club Creating: "A Room of Their Own"
First created in Barcelona in 2023, the club started as an initiative to confront the male-dominated literary industry, and has now grown to over fifty countries. The club exclusively reads books written by women, exploring stories and perspectives that often go unnoticed.
By Irene Molina Garzon
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Right at the back of a cosy pub in the heart of Islington, around a large wooden table, sit ten women. Most of them are in their late twenties, some slightly younger; all very animated as they have a quick catch up before leafing through their copies of I Who Have Never Known Men, by Belgian author Jacqueline Harpman. The conversation flows easily, ranging from speculations about the narrator’s feelings, to reflections on womanhood, solitude and resilience. There’s laughter, nods of agreement and occasional debate, all of it surrounded by a sense of solidarity rather rare to find in a city that can be as chaotic and impersonal as London. That is roughly what it feels like to attend a meeting of the Difficult Women Book Club London (DWBC).
First created in Barcelona in 2023, the club started as an initiative to confront the male-dominated literary industry, and has now grown to over fifty countries. The club exclusively reads books written by women, exploring stories and perspectives that often go unnoticed.
“Authors who get pushed in the publishing industry are very often men - straight, white, cis. We try to look for authors who belong to minorities and who focus on different stories,” said Linda Massi, founder of the club and now admin of the Barcelona branch.
Eva Liukineviciute, administrator of the London branch, spoke about the need for a creative refuge like this. “I find it ridiculous that our whole education is spent reading the same terrible books written by men and for men.”
The group’s composition, mainly women, further contributes to this dynamic. “Because it’s a group where mainly women come, we’ve all gone through a lot of the things we talk about: discrimination, body image issues, tensions at work, the threat of motherhood…” Liukineviciute shared.
Yet, as Massi observed, the male absence speaks volumes. “It’s interesting that men see a book club focused on female authors and think it’s not for them,” she adds.
The DWBC is more than a monthly meeting, it’s a celebration of female creativity and a gentle rebellion against the norm. It’s a space where marginalised voices are amplified, and proof that the diversification of literature can be achieved chapter by chapter.
