- List of lesbian literature
Lesbian literature includes works by
lesbian authors, as well as lesbian-themed works by heterosexual authors. Even works by lesbian writers that do not deal with lesbian themes are still often considered lesbian literature. Works by heterosexual writers which treat lesbian themes only in passing, on the other hand, are not often regarded as lesbian literature.The fundamental work of lesbian literature is the poetry of
Sappho of Lesbos . Contemporary lesbian literature is centered around several small, exclusively lesbian presses, as well as online fandoms. Certain works have established historical or artistic importance. Works of lesbian literature are sometimes difficult to identify if they are not published by small lesbian presses due to a general lack of promotion of lesbian themes by mainstream publishers. An exhaustive list of works cannot be provided here, but key works in different genres are listed.Lesbian fiction
Classic fiction and drama
*"La Garçonne" ("The Bachelor Girl") -
Victor Margueritte - (1922 )
*"The Well of Loneliness " -Radclyffe Hall - (1928) - subject of an obscenity trial that banished the book in the United Kingdom until 1949, [cite book | last = Baker | first = Michael | title = Our Three Selves: A Life of Radclyffe Hall | publisher = GMP Publishers Ltd. | date = 1985 | location = London | page = 353 | id = ISBN 0-85449-042-6 ] though "there are no descriptions of sex in it, no rude words, and the lesbian lovers do not live happily ever after." [Jeanette Winterson, "The Times", 1997.]
*"Ladies Almanack " -Djuna Barnes - (1928)
*"" -Virginia Woolf - (1928)
*"The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas " -Gertrude Stein - (1933) - one of Stein's more accessible works. Others, whose lesbian content may not be apparent to the uninformed reader, include "", "Lifting Belly ", and "Miss Furr and Miss Skeene ".
*"The Children's Hour" -Lillian Hellman - (1934)
*"Nightwood " -Djuna Barnes - (1936)
*"Torchlight to Valhalla " - Gale Wilhelm - (1938)
*"Spring Fire " - Marijane Meaker (asVin Packer ) (1952)
*"The Price of Salt " -Patricia Highsmith (as Clare Morgan) - (1952)
*"Odd Girl Out", "I Am A Woman ", "Women In The Shadows ", "Journey To A Woman ", and "Beebo Brinker" a.k.a. the "Beebo Brinker Chronicles" -Ann Bannon (1957 - 1962)
*"The Group " - Mary McCarthy (1962)
*"The Killing of Sister George " -Frank Marcus - (1963)
*"Desert of the Heart " -Jane Rule - (1964) (basis for the 1985 film "Desert Hearts ")
*"Patience and Sarah " -Isabel Miller (1969)
=Modern fiction (post-Stonewall)=*"
Rubyfruit Jungle ", "Six of One " -Rita Mae Brown
*"Memory Board " -Jane Rule
*"Relief" -L.E. Butler
*"The Wanderground " -Sally Miller Gearheart
*"The Color Purple " -Alice Walker
*"Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit ", "Written on the Body ", "The Passion" -Jeanette Winterson
*"Stone Butch Blues " -Leslie Feinberg
*"Flashpoint" -Katherine V. Forrest
*"Toothpick House ", "The Swashbuckler " -Lee Lynch
*"Bastard Out of Carolina" -Dorothy Allison
*"Under the Witness Tree " -Marianne K. Martin
*"Tipping the Velvet ", "Fingersmith", "The Night Watch ", "Affinity" -Sarah Waters
*"Maybe Next Time " -Karin Kallmaker
*"Lover" -Bertha Harris
*"Hood", "Stirfry", "Kissing the Witch", "Life Mask", "Landing" -Emma Donoghue
*"Like", "Hotel World " -Ali Smith
*"Sita" -Kate Millet
*"Cat Rising " -Cyn Chadwick
*"Love's Masquerade " -Radclyffe
*"Of Drag Kings and the Wheel of Fate " - [http://www.azarnes.com/smitty.html Susan "Smitty" Smith]
*"Mousson de femmes (Monsoon of women)" -Elula Perrin
*"Loving Her ", "Say Jesus and Come to Me " -Ann Allen Shockley
*"Fresh Tracks " -Georgia Beers
*"Idaho Code " -Joan Opyr
*"The Teahouse Fire " -Ellis Avery
*"Beyond the Pale " -Elana Dykewomon
*"Such A Pretty Face " -Gabrielle Goldsby
*"Punk Like Me " -JD Glass
*"Flight Risk " -Kim Baldwin
* "Love Ruins Everything ", "Love and Other Ruins ", "The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky "Karen X. Tulchinsky
* "Crybaby Butch "-Judith Frank
* "Back Talk "-Saxon Bennett "
* "Sweet Bitter Love " -Rita Schiano
* "Your Sad Eyes and Unforgettable Mouth " -Edeet Ravel Mystery novels
There are a great number of contemporary lesbian mysteries, a genre that is often more welcoming to sexual minorities.
*
Alison Kaine , a lesbianDenver, Colorado police officer in mysteries byKate Allan
*Allison O'Neill , a lesbian in mysteries byLauren Wright Douglas
*Amanda Valentine , a lesbian detective inspector inWellington, New Zealand by Rose Beecham
*Wilhelmina "Bil" Hardy , an amateur lesbian detective inCowslip, Idaho by Joan Opyr
*Brenda Strange , a private investigator of the weird inTampa, Florida byPatty Henderson
*Brett Higgins , a lesbian pseudo-criminal in Detroit mystery/thrillers byTherese Szymanski
*Caitlin Reece , a lesbian in mysteries byLauren Wright Douglas
*Carmen Ramirez , a 24-year-old Irish-Puerto Rican lesbian copy editor at her hometown newspaper inFrontier City, Oklahoma byLisa Haddock
*Carol Ashton , a lesbian detective inspector in Sydney, Australia in mysteries byClaire McNab
*Cassandra Reilly , a widely travelled lesbian translator in mysteries byBarbara Wilson
*Cassidy James , a lesbian private investigator based inPortland, Oregon in mysteries byKate Calloway
*Colleen Fitzgerald , a lesbian insurance investigator in mysteries by Barbara Johnson
*Desiree "Dez" Reilly, a lesbian policewoman inSt. Paul, Minnesota in mysteries by [http://www.lorillake.com/ Lori L. Lake]
*Emma Victor, a lesbian private investigator in San Francisco in mysteries byMary Wings
*Gianna Maglione , lesbian police lieutenant inWashington, D.C. in mysteries byPenny Mickelbury
*Hilary Tamar (?), an androgynous lawyer in mysteries bySarah Caudwell . In fact, Caudwell never specified Tamar's sex.
*InspectorSarah Nelson in mysteries bySusan Wolfe
*Jane Lawless , a lesbian restaurant owner and private investigator inMinneapolis in mysteries byEllen Hart
*Jet Butler , a lesbian college professor in mysteries byB. Reese Johnson
*Jo Jacuzzo , a charismatic lesbian inBuffalo, New York in mysteries byAnne Seale
*Jude Devine , a lesbian sheriff's detective inMontezuma County, Colorado in mysteries byRose Beecham
*Kate Delafield , a lesbian LAPD homicide detective and former Marine in mysteries byKatherine V. Forrest
*Kate Martinelli , a lesbianSan Francisco homicide detective in mysteries byLaurie R. King
*Kristin Ashe , a lesbian private investigator in mysteries byJennifer L. Jordan
*Kellen Stewart , a therapist and a lesbian inGreat Britain byManda Scott
*Kylie Kendall , the lesbian manager of a pub in tinyWollegudgerie ,Australia who inherits 51% of her father's private detective agency inLos Angeles, California in mysteries byClaire McNab
*Lauren Laurano , a lesbian private investigator inManhattan , in mysteries bySandra Scoppettone
*Lexy Hyatt , a lesbian crime reporter inFlorida in mysteries byCarlene Miller
*Lindsay Gordon , a lesbian journalist & socialist inGlasgow, Scotland in mysteries byVal McDermid
*Maggie Garrett , a young, lesbian private investigator in San Francisco, California in mysteries byJean Taylor
*Maris Middleton , a lesbian chemist with a specialization in forensics in mysteries byKaye Davis
*Meg Lacey , a lesbian private investigator based in Canada in mysteries byElizabeth Bowers
*Micky Knight , a lesbianNew Orleans private investigator in mysteries byJ.M. Redmann
*Monette O'Reilley , towering lesbian and star player of the Leaping Lesbians of Park Slope soccer team and graphic artist inNew York in mysteries byDavid Stukas
*Nickel (Nicole) Smith, a lesbian small-town newspaper editor in Runnymeade byRita Mae Brown
*Pam Nilsen , lesbian printing company owner inSeattle, Washington byBarbara Wilson
*Saz Martin , a lesbian private investigator inLondon byStella Duffy
*Stoner McTavish , a lesbian travel agent inBoston, Massachusetts bySarah Dreher
*Sydney Sloan , a lesbian private investigator inNew York, New York , in the Stonewall Inn mysteries byRandye Lordon
*Toni Barston , a lesbian district attorney specializing in borderline personalities in mysteries byTerri Breneman
*Tru North , a lesbian police detective inKansas City, Missouri in mysteries byJanet McClellan
*Virginia Kelly , a lesbian investment advisor in mysteries byNikki Baker
*The "Unexpected" series byGina Dartt Romance novels
Contemporary Lesbian Romances are typified by the novels from
Karin Kallmaker ,Radclyffe , andMarianne K. Martin *"Curious Wine, Emergence of Green" --
Katherine V. Forrest
*"All True Lovers, Cytherea's Breath, Amantha" --Sarah Aldridge
*"Legacy of Love, Love in the Balance, Dawn of the Dance, Never Ending, Mirrors, Under the Witness Tree, Dance in the Key of Love" --Marianne K. Martin
*"Mulligan, House on Sandstone, Just this Once, Secrets So Deep, Out of Love" -- [http://www.kgmacgregor.com/ KG MacGregor]
*"Honor Series, Justice Series, Provincetown" series --Radclyffe
*"All the Wrong Places, Car Pool, Embrace in Motion, Finders Keepers, In Every Port, Just LIke That, The Kiss that Counted, One Degree of Separation, Painted Moon, Sugar, Unforgettable, Making Up For Lost Time, Substitute for Love, Touchwood, Wild Things, Watermark" (sequel to "Touchwood") --Karin Kallmaker
*"Course of Action, Coffee Sonata, Sheridan's Fate" -- [http://www.gbrooke-fiction.com Gun Brooke]
*"Define Destiny" -- [http://www.jmdragon.net/ JM Dragon]
*"First Instinct, Forever Found, Hotel Liaison, Rising Storm" -- [http://www.jleemeyer.com/ JLee Meyer]
*"More Than Paradise", the Moon Island Series: "Passion Bay, Saving Grace, The Sacred Shore, A Guarded Heart", and the Dark Vista series: "Dark Dreamer, Dark Valentine" -- Jennifer Fulton
*"I Found My Heart In San Francisco Series, Arbor Vitae" -- [http://www.sxmeagher.com/ SX Meagher]
*"Sweet Bitter Love" --Rita Schiano
*"Sierra City, Gulf Breeze, Hunter's Way, Behind the Pine Curtain, Coyote Sky, Dawn of Change, The Rainbow Cedar, One Summer Night" -- [http://www.gerrihill.com/ Gerri Hill]
*"The Light Fantastic" -- L A Tucker
*"Never Say Never, Class Reunion" -- Linda Hill
*"None So Blind, Prarie Fire, Tumbleweed Fever" -- LJ Maas
*"Galveston 1900: Swept Away, The Bluest Eyes in Texas, and Borderline" -- Linda Crist
*"The Price of Fame, The Cost of Commitment, The Value of Valor" -- [http://www.lynnames.com/ Lynn Ames]
*"Infinite Loop" -- [http://www.meghanobrien.com/ Meghan O'Brien]
*"Innocent Hearts, Love's Melody Lost, Love's Tender Warriors, Tomorrow's Promise, Passion's Bright Fury, Love's Masquerade" --Radclyffe
*"Hunter's Pursuit, Force of Nature, Whitewater Rendezvous, Focus of Desire" -- [http://www.kimbaldwin.com/ Kim Baldwin]
*"A Gift of Time, Gloria's Inn" -- [http://www.robinfic.com/index.htm Robin Alexander]
*"Private Dancer" -- [http://www.angelfire.com/tv/Vertigo/index.html TJ Vertigo]
*"Turning the Page, Thy Neighbor's Wife, Too Close to Touch, Fresh Tracks, Mine" --- [http://www.georgiabeers.com/ Georgia Beers]
*"Turning Point" -- [http://www.lzfiction.net/ Lara Zielinsky]
*"Such A Pretty Face" --Gabrielle Goldsby Lesbian science fiction, fantasy, and horror
Lesbian science fiction works frequently address the issue of feminist/
lesbian separatist communities. SeeLesbian science fiction for a more detailed review.*
Joanna Russ 's "The Female Man "
*Marion Zimmer Bradley 's "Renunciate" series
*Jane Fletcher 's "Celano" series
*Katherine V. Forrest 's "Daughters of a Coral Dawn", "Daughters of an Amber Noon", "Daughters of an Emerald Dusk", "Dreams and Swords" anthology with novella "O Captain, My Captain"
*Nicola Griffith 's "Ammonite, Slow River"
*Pat Califia 's "Doc and Fluff"
*Therese Szymanski 's "Call of the Dark" anthology
*Karin Kallmaker , Barbara Johnson,Julia Watts andTherese Szymanski 's "New Exploits" books, including "Once Upon a Dyke", "Bell, Book & Dyke", "Stake Through the Heart", and "Tall in the Saddle"
*Diana River 's "Hadra" series
*Laurie J. Marks 's "Dancing Jack", "Elemental" series ("Fire Logic, Earth Logic, Water Logic")
*Meghan O'Brien 's "The Three"
*Pam Keesey 's" Daughters of Darkness" and "Dark Angels"
*Gun Brooke 's "Supreme Constellations" seriesGay male author
Geoff Ryman 'sArthur C. Clarke Award -winning "The Child Garden " features a lesbian protagonist.Lesbian fan fiction
Fanfiction writers have produced many works in which female characters from fictional sources, such astelevision shows ,movies , orcomic books , are paired in romantic or sexual relationships. The genre is known by a variety of terms, including femslash, saffic, and f/f slash. Lesbian content in fanfiction dates at least to 1977, but has become more popular during the 1990s and 2000s.Poetry
*
Sappho
*H.D.
*Natalie Clifford Barney
*Renée Vivien
* Comtess Anna de Noailles
*Amy Lowell
*Elizabeth Bishop
*Mary Dorcey
*Carol Ann Duffy
*Michael Fields
*Audre Lorde
*Edna St Vincent Millay
*Eileen Myles
*Sophia Parnok
*Michelle Tea
*Adrienne Rich
*Marilyn Hacker
*Robin Becker
*Mary Oliver
*Pat Parker
*Becky Birtha
*Chrystos
*Pat Criste Lesbian Periodicals, Journals and Literary Magazines
See
List of Lesbian Periodicals, Journals and Magazines, Past and Present Lesbian & Feminist Publishing Houses
* [http://www.alyson.com/ Alyson Books]
*Aunt Lute Books
*Bella Books
* [http://www.bluefeatherbooks.com/ Blue Feather Books]
* [http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/ Bold Strokes Books]
* [http://www.bywaterbooks.com/ Bywater Books]
*Crossing Press
*Firebrand Books
* [http://www.intagliopub.com/ Intaglio Publications]
*
* [http://www.onlywomenpress.com/ Onlywomen Press]
* [http://www.regalcrest.biz/ Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC]
* [http://www.pdpublishing.com/ P.D. Publishing, Inc.]
*Press Gang Publishers
*Spinsters Ink
*Virago Press Further reading
* "The Lesbian in Literature" by Gene Damon (
Barbara Grier ). Bibliography of any title with lesbian content through 1969.
* "Chloe plus Olivia - An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the Seventeenth Century to the Present", ed.Lillian Faderman , Penguin Books 1995History and criticism
* "Lesbianism in Germany: 1890's to 1920's".
Lillian Faderman and Brigitte Eriksson.
* "Passions Between Women: British Lesbian Culture 1668-1801".Emma Donoghue
* "Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America".Lillian Faderman
* "Lesbian Texts and Contexts: Radical Revisions", ed.Karla Jay and Joanne Glasgow, New York University Press 1990
* "The Literature of Lesbianism", ed.Terry Castle , Columbia University Press 2003Awards for Lesbian Literature
*
Golden Crown Literary Society
*Lambda Literary Award
* [http://www.publishingtriangle.org/awards.asp Awards from the Publishing Triangle]
* [http://www.spectrumawards.org/ Gaylactic Spectrum Award (GLBT science fiction, fantasy and horror)]ee also
*
Lesbian fiction
*Lesbian pulp fiction
*Lesbian teen fiction
*LGBT literature
*Femslash
*Yuri (term) References
*Potter, Clare. The Lesbian Periodical Index,
Naiad Press , 1986 ISBN 978-0930044749
* [http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/CC/cj-gay.html Gay detectives listed by Stop, You're Killing Me!, a resource for mysteries]
* [http://www.wright.edu/~martin.kich/DetbyProf/Gay.htm Gay & Lesbian detectives listed by Martin Kich]
* [http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/queerfrontiers/queer/papers/retter.html Lesbian (Feminist) Los Angeles, 1970-1990: An Exploratory Ethnohistory, Yolanda Retter University of New Mexico]
* [http://www.library.northwestern.edu/spec/periodicals/lesbian.html McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University Library.]External links
* [http://www.feministsf.org/femsf/bibs/dykeprots.html Feminist SFF & Utopia: Dyke Protagonists]
* [http://www.lesbiansciencefiction.com/index.html Science Fiction for Lesbians]
* [http://www.glbtfantasy.com/ GLBT Fantasy Reviews]
* [http://www.btwof.com/ Books To Watch Out For] publishes a monthly newsletter about lesbian books
* [http://www.glbtq.com/literature/novel_lesbian.html GLBTQ - Novel: Lesbian]
* [http://www.glbtq.com/literature/am_lit5_lesbian_post_stonewall.html GLBTQ - American Literature: Lesbian, Post-Stonewall]
* [http://www.queertheory.com/identities/lesbianism/books_contemporary_lesbian.htm#online QueerTheory - Contemporary Lesbian Writers of the USA]
* [http://www.sappho.com/poetry/ Isle of Lesbos Poetry]
* [http://www.LesbianMysteries.com/ Lesbian Mysteries] features Lesbian Mystery Novels
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