Abstract

Human history bears witness not only to the progress of civilizations but also to the devastations that interrupt this progress. War is a primary cause of such devastation. As historical turning points that radically transform political boundaries, social structures, and individual lives, wars are transmitted across generations through literary texts. Literature serves as a unique realm that makes visible the aspects of war that cannot be expressed through statistics or official narratives namely, the imprints left on the human spirit, the traumas endured, and the forms of resistance adopted. In this sense, literature records not only how wars were experienced but also how they were felt.However, for many years, war narratives were largely shaped by a perspective centered on the male experience, with the male figure fighting at the front lines regarded as the narrative's primary subject. Women, conversely, were frequently positioned either as figures left behind waiting and mourning or as silent witnesses on the periphery of the narrative. Yet, modern critical approaches and feminist literary studies in particular clearly demonstrate that the social burden and moral cost of war fall heavily upon women, and that the female experience within war narratives requires re-examination. In this context, women have begun to move to the center of the literary world, no longer merely as victims of war but as active agents who transform its meaning.On the other hand, the depiction of war in literature dates back to ancient times; indeed, epics constitute the earliest war narratives, conveying the events and realities of conflict. Homer’s *Iliad* may be considered the preeminent work of this genre, given its multifaceted treatment of war. In war an activity generally perceived as male-centric the position and role of women are increasingly gaining visibility.Women have moved beyond being mere symbols of war’s destructiveness defined by the victimization they endured in the passive sphere of the home front—to assume the roles of resistors, soldiers, and supporters, as well as individuals who deeply experience the social and psychological traumas and impacts of conflict. We dedicate this volume the ninth in our project launched in 2017 under the title *Women and Migration in Literature* to these women: the "invisible heroes" who either struggle to survive under harsh conditions on the home front while their men are at war, or who defend their homelands on the battlefield while facing every form of violence. Through works selected from world literature, our esteemed authors bring these invisible heroines of war to life, inviting you to bear witness to the undeniable roles they play.