Latviešu starpkaru flanēzes: Tijas Bangas romāna “Sieviete”, Lūcijas Zamaičas poēmu cikla “Ielu maldos” un Austras Skujiņas krājuma “Dzejas” varones pilsētā
Latvian Interwar Flâneuses: Heroines of the Novel “The Woman” by Tija Banga, the Sequence of Poems “Delusion in the Streets” by Lūcija Zamaiča and the Collection “Poems” by Austra Skujina in the City

Summary/Abstract: This article focuses on the gaze of the flâneuse as portrayed in the novel Sieviete (The Woman, 1930) by Tija Banga (1882–1957), the collection of prose poems Ielu maldos (Delusion in the Streets, 1923) by Lūcija Zamaiča (1893–1965), and the collection Dzejas (Poems, 1932) by Austra Skujiņa (1909–1932). These works of Latvian feminist modernist literature call for a reevaluation of women’s place in the city and, therefore, in society. The concept of flâneur, the idle street-walker of 19th century Paris, was initially developed by Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867) and other French writers, eventually becoming a key figure of modernity, as conceptualized by Walter Benjamin (1892–1940). However, this concept lacked a female counterpart, as women’s presence in public spaces was often limited to specific social roles that usually were not compatible with respectability. During the interwar period of the 20th century, albeit unusual, the existence of the flâneuse in Western metropolises seemed less implausible. In Latvian interwar literature, a few voices of urban women emerged to challenge the dominance of the male gaze. Writers, such as Banga, Zamaiča, and Skujiņa placed the female perspective at the forefront of their work, questioned the masculinity of urban men, and contemplated the presence of women in urban environment.

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