French
Women in Science in Literature

Published on 09/20/2025 at 12:05 PM by Verguet-Bailly Matias

Women in Science in Literature

Excerpts and analyses from books that tell the stories of women scientists.

For centuries, women scientists have been absent from history, often erased from official narratives. Thanks to authors who focus on their trajectories, these works help popularize science and provide recognition through a personal and human approach.

SOME NOTABLE EXAMPLES

  • The Universe Builders by Hélène Marie-Beral: an essay tracing the journey of great researchers, including Lise Meitner and Rosalind Franklin.
  • The Woman Who Solved by Claudette Mantell: inspired by the lives of Curie and other women scientists, showing their passion and struggle to exist.
  • Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age: This essential biography explores physicist Lise Meitner's fundamental role in the discovery of nuclear fission, her contribution, and her exclusion from the Nobel Prize at the dawn of the atomic era.
  • Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly: although focused on a different field, the novel illustrates the impact and tenacity common to all women in science.
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THE IMPACT OF THESE STORIES

These books don't just tell the story of science: they repair memory. They allow readers to embody discoveries through a female voice, understand the obstacles overcome, and be inspired by perseverance.

WHEN FICTION INSPIRES SCIENCE

Literature not only influences our view of the past, it also inspires scientific vocations. By discovering these fascinating female figures, new generations of readers allow themselves to dream of laboratories, experiments and discoveries.