'A Room of His Own' by Suniti Namjoshi

I just finished reading "Feminist Fables", a small book that elaborates on the most common fables from the point of view of women. I have already written about this little known author here. To show you how clever and yet so unpretentiously written they are, I'll report one of my favourites.

A Room of His Own

The fifth time around things were different. He gave her instructions, he gave her the keys (including the little one) and rode off alone. Exactly four weeks later he reappeared. The house was dusted, the floors were polished and the door to the little room hadn't been opened. Bluebeard was stunned. 'But weren't you curious?' he asked his wife. 'No', she answered. 'But didn't you want to find out my innermost secrets?' 'Why?' said the woman. 'Well' said Bluebeard, 'it's only natural. But didn't you want to know who I really am?' 'You are Bluebeard and my husband.' 'But the contents of the room. Didn't you want to see what is inside that room?' 'No,' said the creature, 'I think you're entitled to a room of your own.' This so incensed him that he killed her on the spot. At the trial he pleaded provocation.

Questo libro è stato tradotto, con il titolo "Fiabe Femministe", per Supernova. Di Suniti Namjoshi, in traduzione italiana con testo a fronte, è disponibile anche "Istantanee di Caliban. Sycorax", una raccolta di poesie che rivisita "La Tempesta" di Shakespeare, rendendo per esempio Caliban una donna-mostro (ma come cavolo si dice "she-monster" in italiano?) e riflettendo sulle questioni postcoloniali presenti nel testo.