Flying with Wings of Wax: The Story of Emily Kempin-Spyri

When Kemprin (1853-1901), already a wife and mother, received her doctorate of law from the University of Zurich in 1887, she became the first women in Europe to earn the degree. But despite continued petitions, her native Switzerland prohibited her from practicing law. In a poignant reconstruction, Hasler, a Swiss novelist, recounts Kempin's life of triumph and tragedy in heavily fictionalized flashbacks. Fleeing the hostility of her colleagues and relations (her aunt was the writer Johanna Spyri), Kempin emigrated with her family to New York City in 1888, where she established and taught the first law classes for women. The demands of her husband and children persuaded her to return in 1891 to Zurich, where her professional status remained unchanged. Frustrated and despondent, with her marriage dissolving and the financial responsibility for her three children weighing on her, Kempin collapsed and spent the remainder of her life in an asylum. (Jan.)