SKU: 55958450451

Woman in Battle Dress

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Woman in Battle DressFinalist for the 2016 PEN Center USA Award for Translation In 1809, at the age of eighteen, Henriette Faber enrolled herself in medical school in Paris and since medicine was a profession prohibited to women, she changed her name to Henri in order to matriculate. She would spend the next fifteen years practicing medicine and living as a man. Drafted to serve as a surgeon in Napoleon's army, Faber endured the horrors of the 1812 retreat across Russia.

Finalist for the 2016 PEN Center USA Award for Translation


In 1809, at the age of eighteen, Henriette Faber enrolled herself in medical school in Paris--and since medicine was a profession prohibited to women, she changed her name to Henri in order to matriculate. She would spend the next fifteen years practicing medicine and living as a man.

Drafted to serve as a surgeon in Napoleon's army, Faber endured the horrors of the 1812 retreat across Russia. She later embarked to the Caribbean and set up a medical practice in a remote Cuban village, where she married Juana de Le n, an impoverished local. Three years into their marriage, de Le n turned Faber in to the authorities, demanding that the marriage be annulled. A sensational legal trial ensued, and Faber was stripped of her medical license, forced to dress as a woman, sentenced to prison, and ultimately sent into exile. She was last seen on a boat headed to New Orleans in 1827.

In this, his last published work, Antonio Ben tez Rojo takes the outline provided by historical events and weaves a richly detailed backdrop for Faber, who becomes a vivid and complex figure grappling with the strictures of her time. Woman in Battle Dress is a sweeping, ambitious epic, in which Henriette Faber tells the story of her life, a compelling, entertaining, and ultimately triumphant tale.

Praise for Woman in Battle Dress

"Woman in Battle Dress by Antonio Ben tez-Rojo, which has been beautifully translated from the Spanish by Jessica Ernst Powell, is the extraordinary account of an extraordinary person. Ben tez-Rojo blows great gusts of fascinating fictional wind onto the all but forgotten embers of the actual Henriette Faber, and this blazing tale of her adventures as a military surgeon and a husband and about a hundred other fascinating things is both something we want and need to hear."--Laird Hunt, author of Neverhome

"A picaresque novel starring an adventurous heroine, who caroms from country to country around the expanding Napoleonic empire, hooking up with a dazzling array of men (and women) as she goes. A wild ride "--Carmen Boullosa, author of Texas: The Great Theft

"As detailed as any work of history and as action filled as any swashbuckler, Woman in Battle Dress is not only Antonio Ben tez Rojo's last and most ambitious book, but also his masterpiece. In this graceful English translation of Henriette Faber's autobiography--more than fiction, less than fact--American readers will have access to one of the most engaging novels to come out of Latin America in recent years."--Gustavo P rez-Firmat, Columbia University

Antonio Ben tez-Rojo (1931-2005) was a Cuban novelist, essayist and short-story writer. He was widely regarded as the most significant Cuban author of his generation. His work has been translated into nine languages and collected in more than 50 anthologies. One of his most influential publications, La Isla que se Repite, was published in 1989 by Ediciones del Norte, and published in English as The Repeating Island by Duke University Press in 1997.

Jessica Powell has translated numerous Latin American authors, including works by C sar Vallejo, Jorge Luis Borges, Ernesto Cardenal, Maria Moreno, Ana Lidia Vega Serova and Edmundo Paz Sold n. Her translation (with Suzanne Jill Levine) of Adolfo Bioy Casares and Silvina Ocampo's novel Where There's Love, There's Hate, was published by Melville House in 2013. She is the recipient of a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship in support of her translation of Antonio Ben tez Rojo's novel Woman in Battle Dress.




Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: City Lights Books
Published: 10/13/2015
ISBN: 9780872866768
Pages: 480
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 8.40h x 6.00w x 1.10d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2015
Booklist 08/01/2015 pg. 25
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SKU: 55958450451

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Mimi
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Monstrously Sweet
Format: Kindle
This book packs an emotional punch, especially if you’ve experienced childhood trauma (particularly abuse and/or neglect). Alexandra creates these three strong protectors who love her and will do anything to make her feel happy and safe. She started out drawing them when she was a small child, and then transitioned to stories as she grew up. Lucien, Elwin, and Kylo look frightening in their monster forms, but it’s clear that they would never hurt Alexandra, and she has never felt afraid of them. They have very distinct personalities that we get to know better throughout the book. The love and devotion they have for Alexandra is sweet and unwavering. This is a fantastic and creative story! The world-building is wonderful - it’s a shared world with M. Sinclair, and takes place at a university for supernatural beings. The additional world-building within Alexandra’s story added even more depth and intrigue. The spicy times were 🥵 and it’s more of a medium burn, but it works with the characters and I expect that it’ll pick up quite a bit in the next books. Monsters Within has a unique way of addressing mental health issues that can come from being abused and neglected. There are some flashbacks to Alexandra’s childhood that provide some insight but they don’t go into heavy details. I absolutely adored this book and can’t wait for more!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022
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Brittni Shafer
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 4
One of us
Format: Kindle
Alexandra is literally one of us. She's just lucky her fictional men became a reality hahaha. This was a good start to what I know is going to be a great series. This was fast paced and kept me entertained. Im ready for the chaos to slow down a little bit so we can get more into the character development. There's so much happening, I feel like we hardly know anything about anyone BUT that's why this is a series so let's get to the next one!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2025
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Courtney
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Love this!
Format: Kindle
So far I'm loving this series! The FMC is tough and sweet and I love her MMCs. Its a very interesting story so far. On to book 2!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2026
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Nina DuBois
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 3
Alex and her monsters
Format: Kindle
A somewhat intriguing story that did drag a little despite giving us some world building. The explanations just took too long even if we don’t get the full picture yet. I will say the story does have some humor and is very hot. I may pick up the second book at some point.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023
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Chey3995
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Interesting Monster Academy
Format: Kindle
Alexandra is tired of being alone, using writing to escape from her reality. But when her monster protectors in her writing come to life, her life is going to become a little more exciting than she ever anticipated. This was a fun take on an academy romance. We have two different realities, one for the real world and one for the supernatural world. I loved the Dark Imaginarium Academy and the intrigue it held throughout the story. The plot was fun and the characters were written beautifully. Alexandra, Elwin, Kylo and Lucien were great characters and have the best out of every relationship dynamic. My heart does belong to Lucien, because who doesn't love a murderous psycho willing to kill anyone who hurts you? I wish there was a little more intrigue to the plot itself. The story was fun to read and well written, but it's still a straightforward Academy romance. I would've liked to see something that made the story really stand out more.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022

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