The philosopher who lived under a male alias to escape sexism
In short: Helene von Druskowitz was a pioneer, becoming only the second woman to earn a doctorate in philosophy. Yet, her intellectual journey was marked by intense struggle, from navigating a patriarchal academic world to facing a lifetime of psychiatric institutionalization and the loss of her legal rights.
Born Helena Maria Druschkovich in Hietzing, Vienna, in 1856, Druskowitz was a polymath who studied philosophy, archaeology, and modern languages. After moving to Zürich in 1874, she completed her Matura in 1878. She eventually became the second woman to achieve a Doctorate in Philosophy, following Stefania Wolicka, with a dissertation focused on Byron's Don Juan.
Her intellectual circle was elite; she was introduced to Friedrich Nietzsche and Lou Andreas Salomé via Malwida von Meysenbug. Notably, she was among the select few to receive a copy of the fourth book of Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which he published at his own expense. Despite these connections, her relationship with Nietzsche was short-lived, and she eventually became a critic of his philosophy.
Druskowitz was a vocal critic of religion and sexism, contributing to feminist reviews like Der heilige Kampf (The Holy Struggle). However, her personal life took a tragic turn. Following a period of excessive drinking and drug use, she was sent to a psychiatric hospital in Dresden in 1891. When her funds were exhausted, she was returned to Vienna and placed under guardianship on 7 July 1891, a status that stripped her of her rights for the remainder of her life.
She continued to write and publish until 1905, including works such as Three English Writers in 1885 and Pessimistische Kardinalsätze in 1905. She died of dysentery in May 1918, having spent her final 27 years within a psychiatric institution.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Helene von Druskowitz
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