The Hidden History of New Women in Serbian Culture: Toward a New History of Literature.

This article reviews Svetlana Tomic’s monograph *The Hidden History of New Women in Serbian Culture: Toward a New History of Literature* (2022), which reexamines the overlooked contributions of Serbian “New Women” writers and cultural figures from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Tomic highlights key figures such as Draga Gavrilovic, Queen Natalija Obrenovic, Milka Aleksic Grgurova, and Jelena J. Dimitrijevic, emphasizing their roles in Serbian literary and cultural modernization despite longstanding marginalization by male-dominated academic and publishing institutions. The book also explores supportive male allies, the archival recovery of women’s memoirs and translations, and the evolving memory and recognition of these women’s achievements, notably through the 1913 *Srpkinja* album documenting Serbian women’s cultural contributions. Tomic’s work calls for renewed scholarly attention, revisionist approaches, and broader dissemination of these women’s writings to correct historical misrepresentations and enrich Serbian literary history. [Extracted from the article]