Abstract

This article attempts to study fictional depictions of Johanna Bonger in contemporary postmodern biofiction. This article aims to underscore the genre of biofiction, defined as fictional biographies and metafictional narratives that highlight a biographical character, either as the protagonist or as someone playing a pivotal role in the story. The objective of this research is to examine how the life behind a genius woman who embarks on artistic endeavors vanishes from historical narratives and how she is reinterpreted in contemporary rewritings. The study centers on two of Johanna’s biofiction “The Secret Life of Sunflowers” by Marta Molnar and “Mrs Van Gogh” by Caroline Cauchi. The selected novels fit into the genre of what Linda Hutcheon refers to as historiographic metafiction. It is a concept that applies to fiction that draws on and reinterprets historical characters and reworks certain historical depictions. Postmodernism holds that every text contains fragments or traces of other texts, and readers interpret each work with or as a backdrop to other texts intertextually. To reincarnate Johanna through fiction, the novelists exercise their artistic liberty by rewriting the stories with gripping narratives. This article also investigates how contemporary authors depict her, focusing on the narrative strategies and thematic concerns that shape her fictional representation. Investigating her life entails determining the materials used to build, or rather rebuild, her identity, and comprehending why she piques the curiosity of academics, authors, and readers. Reading the novels reveals the historical erasure of women in creative fields and contemporary efforts to reclaim their stories in fiction.