Hunger art: the novels of Anita Brookner.

Anita Brookner is known for her depictions of exiled Polish Jews in England and particularly for her portrayal of women trapped in patriarchal systems of relationships which they cannot escape. Thus, her heroines partake of tragedy by their inability to take control of their lives since they can only accept whatever social order in which they have been raised. Some of Brookner's novels do provide the heroines with a measure of hope by holding out the promise of liberation if they leave the abusive relationships that limit their lives. I read Anita Brookner with chagrin and fascination. I have...