Women as the Focus of Ksenija Atanasijević

The subject of this chapter is Ksenija Atanasijević’s depiction of female characters in the works of ancient literature. Through them, she affirms her standpoint that a woman, in her natural complexity, is a valuable active participant in ancient myths and tragedies. The aim of the text is to show that Atanasijević considered women to be equally glorious expressions of a set of thoughts and feelings as the most successful male dramatic characters, and that their fates are no less tragic. The conclusion is that she affirms female subjectivity and dignity even in the most difficult and tragic circumstances, thus encouraging readers to take up such an attitude. A warning that “the possibility of being carefree has been radically removed from all of us” is also present in her works, a warning equally pertinent in her time as today. The chapter is structured as an imaginary dialogue between the author and Ksenija Atanasijević, touching upon her most significant attitudes, thoughts and ideas.