This volume crystallises interconnectedness between history, memory and female authorship. Based on a discussion of censorship, Part I explores the figure of "the revolutionary woman" as manifestation of "useful selves" in Soviet womenÂs autobiographical texts. As self-represenations under surveillance, voices from margins, as well as stories of success, womenÂs texts are furthermore investigated as creating space for agency and public authority. Part II connects the figure of "the revolutionary woman" with that of "the suffering woman" and explores different levels of contemporary politics of memory. By focusing on how contexts and conventions provide means of self-narration, the construction of womenÂs communities of memory is examined.