HEADLINER
Humanities and Non-Fiction
WOMEN EATING
Diets, Anorexia, Bulimia: Mangeuses tells "the story of how females binge, savour and deny themselves to extremes". Journalist and feminist author Lauren Malka’s work is an essay on the conflicted relationship females have with food, and sheds a light on the societal, cultural, historical and scientific implications involved.
What killed female gluttony? The 1970s are often blamed for the dawn of eating disorders and the adoption of the first draconian methodologies for keeping thin, but actually, these phenomena are much older. They took root in the Creation Myths such as that of Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit, or Pandora, who was forced to hide her insatiable appetite to guard the perception of perfection.
"Since antiquity, women who eat are represented as monsters, beings incapable of controlling their urges", Lauren Malka, explains. By tracing the history of the female relationship with food, kitchens, gastronomy and even culinary reviews, she offers a unique insight into the portrayals and conceptions that shape our appetites and our gluttony.
"This book is unique in its multidisciplinary approach to this subject. The author’s tour de force was her ability to consider a variety of diverse disciplines – history, philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, medicine, psychology, gender studies, testimonials – and put them into perspective to evaluate her subject in a comprehensive way," adds Constance Roche, editor at Les Pérégrines.
Over 18,500 copies have been sold in France to date, 10,000 in hardcover and 8,500 in paperback. The book has also attracted foreign publishers: translation rights have been sold in Japan (Sayusha) and Brasil (Bazar do Tempo). There is no doubt that Mangeuses has all the necessary ingredients to whet the appetite of readers around the world.
Katja Petrovic
June 2026
Diets, Anorexia, Bulimia: Mangeuses tells "the story of how females binge, savour and deny themselves to extremes". Journalist and feminist author Lauren Malka’s work is an essay on the conflicted relationship females have with food, and sheds a light on the societal, cultural, historical and scientific implications involved.
What killed female gluttony? The 1970s are often blamed for the dawn of eating disorders and the adoption of the first draconian methodologies for keeping thin, but actually, these phenomena are much older. They took root in the Creation Myths such as that of Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit, or Pandora, who was forced to hide her insatiable appetite to guard the perception of perfection.
"Since antiquity, women who eat are represented as monsters, beings incapable of controlling their urges", Lauren Malka, explains. By tracing the history of the female relationship with food, kitchens, gastronomy and even culinary reviews, she offers a unique insight into the portrayals and conceptions that shape our appetites and our gluttony.
"This book is unique in its multidisciplinary approach to this subject. The author’s tour de force was her ability to consider a variety of diverse disciplines – history, philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, medicine, psychology, gender studies, testimonials – and put them into perspective to evaluate her subject in a comprehensive way," adds Constance Roche, editor at Les Pérégrines.
Over 18,500 copies have been sold in France to date, 10,000 in hardcover and 8,500 in paperback. The book has also attracted foreign publishers: translation rights have been sold in Japan (Sayusha) and Brasil (Bazar do Tempo). There is no doubt that Mangeuses has all the necessary ingredients to whet the appetite of readers around the world.
Katja Petrovic
June 2026
Katja Petrovic
June 2026