Under Observation Author:Amalie Skram, Katherine Hanson, Judith Messick (translators) In 1894 Amalie Skram, the controversial Norwegian author of such strongly feminist novels as Constance Ring and Betrayed, found herself incarcerated against her will in a Copenhagen asylum, held hostage by Dr. Knud Postoppidan, one of Denmark's leading psychiatrists. When she was released, she vowed to tell the story of her confinement; in 1895 ... more »she published two novels, Professor Hieronimus and St. Jorgen's, which created a firestorm of discussion and led to changes in the rights of mental patients. Under Observation is the first modern translation of these two classic novels. They describe in hypnotic, chilling detail the plight of painter Else Kant, whose depression regarding her work leads her to consult Professor Hieronimus and to be admitted to Ward Six, a hell from which she is unable to escape. On Ward Six the Professor makes the decisions and decides who is sane, and a woman who resists his authority must be punished at all costs. Forbidden to see her husband or her child, Else observes and makes connections in her new world, from her sister patients to the women nurses afraid to cross Professor Hieronimus. A brilliant study of male power and female revolt, Under Observation still rings with truth a hundred years later. This edition includes an introduction by Elaine Showalter, author of The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture 1830-1890, and essays by Katherine Hanson and Judith Messick on Amalie Skram's life and her asylum novels.« less