Dworkin, Andrea, 1946-2005

Author, critic, and radical feminist Andrea Dworkin was born on September 26, 1946, in Camden, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Sylvia (Spiegel), a secretary, and Harry Dworkin, a guidance counselor. In 1965, while attending Bennington College, Dworkin was arrested in New York City for protesting against the Vietnam War, and spent four days in the Women’s House of Detention. She later made headlines, publicizing her brutal treatment at the hands of staff, which led to a grand jury investigation of the prison. In 1965, she traveled to Crete, then returned to the United States to complete her coursework at Bennington College, before moving to Amsterdam, where she completed work for her B.A., which she received in 1968. On March 11, 1969, Dworkin married Cornelius (Iwan) Dirk de Bruin, a Dutch political activist. De Bruin abused Dworkin throughout the marriage, which ended in divorce in 1972. Dworkin moved to New York City in 1972 and in 1974, she met John Stoltenberg, a writer and editor. Dworkin, who identified herself as a lesbian, and Stoltenberg, who identified himself as homosexual, became close friends and lived together for many years before marrying in 1998.

Dworkin was the author of several books including Woman Hating (1974), Our Blood: Prophecies and Discourses on Sexual Politics (1976), Pornography: Men Possessing Women (1981), Right-Wing Women (1983), Intercourse (1987), Letters from a War Zone: Writings, 1976-1989 (1989), Scapegoat: The Jews, Israel, and Women's Liberation (2000), and Heartbreak: The Political Memoir of a Feminist Militant (2002). She was also the author of short stories and novels including Ice and Fire (1987) and Mercy (1991). In addition, Dworkin lectured widely and contributed to numerous periodicals and anthologies.

In 1983, with lawyer Catharine MacKinnon, Dworkin drafted a controversial civil rights ordinance defining pornography as sex discrimination. An activist working on behalf of many causes including abortion rights, she advised women and groups on issues of rape, battery, pornography, and incest in the United States and abroad.

Andrea Dworkin died April 9, 2005, in Washington, D.C.

From the guide to the Papers, 1914-2007 (inclusive), 1973-2000 (bulk), (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)