New York: A Woman's Dream

New York has always been the door to America and to the American Dream in the imaginary of migrants from all over the world. Yet, nowadays, as a city, New York is a space to be re-claimed and to be re-negotiated by migrants, by ethnic minorities, and also by women, particularly of Asiatic or Middle Eastern origins. This contribution considers how a relevant sample of World Women Writers portray New York City and how they inscribe themselves – as citizens – and their writings – as civil testimonies – in that reality. From Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake (2003), to Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss (2006), the voices of Middle Eastern Women (Suheir Hammad and Zena El Khalil) will be heard mourning the 9/11 victims, as it does Voices of Sanity. Reaching Out for Peace (2001), the volume that gathers testimonies and reactions to the terrorist attacks.