Etty Hillesum and Charlotte Salomon Pregnancy as a Theme in Their Lives and Works

Both Etty Hillesum and Charlotte Salomon were extremely creative and productive young women. They were women of child-bearing age during the Second World War, but their offspring are cultural. In this text, De Costa reflects on the differences and similarities in the lives and legacies of Charlotte Salomon and Etty Hillesum, emphasizing the connection between fertility in a biological as well as cultural sense. Hereby, the author is influenced and inspired by the work of three women: the writer and philosopher Luce Irigaray, the fondly remembered Dutch philosopher Rina Van der Haegen, and the writer and philosopher Helene Cixous.