Lesbian fiction

Lesbian fiction is a subgenre of fiction that involves one or more primary female homosexual character(s) and lesbian themes. Novels that fall into this category may be of any genres, such as, but not limited to, historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and romance.

History

The first novel in the English language recognised as having a lesbian theme is Radclyffe Hall's "The Well of Loneliness" (1928), which a British court found obscene because it defended "unnatural practices between women". [cite book
last =Hall
first =Radclyffe
authorlink =Radclyffe Hall
coauthors =
title =The Well of Loneliness
publisher =Avon
date =1981
location =New York
pages =
url =
doi =
isbn = 0-380-54247-1 ] The book was banned in Britain for decades; this is in the context of the similar censorship of "Lady Chatterley's Lover", which also had a theme of transgressive female sexuality, albeit heterosexual. In the United States "The Well of Loneliness" survived legal challenges in New York and the Customs Court. A deeper examination of many classic novels and texts reveals lesbian-focused characters [Foster, Dr. Jeannette H. Jeannette Howard Foster. (1985). "Sex Variant Women in Literature", Naiad Press.] .

Lesbian fiction saw a huge explosion in interest with the advent of the dime-store or pulp fiction novel. Lesbian pulp fiction became its own category of fiction [Forrest, Katherine V. Katherine V. Forrest, "Lesbian Pulp Fiction: The Sexually Intrepid World of Lesbian Paperback Novels 1950-1965" (2005)] , although a significant number of authors of this genre were men using either a male or female pen name. [Grier, Barbara (1973). "The Lesbian in Literature". [Naiad Press] , 1973.] The feminist movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s saw a more accepted entry of lesbian-themed literature.

Young adult

Publication of lesbian fiction for teenagers and young adults started in the 1970s. Nancy Garden's "Annie on My Mind" was one of the first young adult novels featuring love between two girls. More recent authors who write about lesbian and bisexual teenagers include Sara Ryan, Julie Anne Peters, and Judy MacLean. This genre showed a notable increase in the 1990s, with the publication of novels by authors including Nancy Garden, M.E. Kerr, and Ellen Wittlinger.

Publishers

An early publisher devoted to publishing lesbian and feminist books was Naiad Press, which published the seminal lesbian romance novel "Curious Wine" by Katherine V. Forrest. The Press closed in 2003 after 31 years [Bullough, Vern L. (2003). "Before Stonewall". Haworth, 2003 (262).] . Other early publishers include Spinsters Ink, Rising Tide, Crossing Press, Seal Press and New Victoria. In many cases, these presses were operated by authors who also published with the press, such as Barbara Wilson at Seal Press and Joan Drury at Spinsters Ink.

The current largest publishers of lesbian fiction are Bella Books and Bold Strokes Books. Bella Books, established in 2001, acquired the Naiad backlist, including the majority of works by Jane Rule. Their catalog includes 250 titles of lesbian romance, lesbian mystery and erotica. Bold Strokes Books publishes lesbian and gay male mystery, thrillers, sci-fi, adventure, and other LGBT genre books. Their catalog includes 130 titles. Smaller publishers of exclusively lesbian fiction include Blue Feather, Bywater Books, Intaglio Publications, and PD Publishing. Some women's presses also produce lesbian fiction, such as Firebrand Books and Virago Press. A [http://www.wifp.org/DWM/publishers.html more complete list] of lesbian and women's publishers has been maintained by the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press since 2001 [ [http://www.wifp.org/pcabout%20us.html Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press Philosophy and Mission] ] .

Notable works (chronologically)

*"The Well of Loneliness", Radclyffe Hall (1928)
*"Spring Fire", Vin Packer (1952)
*"Chocolates for Breakfast", Pamela Moore (1957)
*"The Beebo Brinker Chronicles", Ann Bannon (1957-1962)
*"Desert of the Heart", Jane Rule (1964)
*"Patience & Sarah", Isabel Miller (1971)
*"Rubyfruit Jungle", Rita Mae Brown (1973)
*"The Swashbuckler", Lee Lynch (1983)
*"Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit", Jeanette Winterson (1985)
*"Memory Board", Jane Rule (1985)
*"Sweet Bitter Love (novel) [Rita Schiano] (1997)
*"Tipping the Velvet", Sarah Waters (1998)
*"Fingersmith", Sarah Waters (2002)

Notable authors (alphabetically)

*Sarah Aldridge
*Ann Bannon
*Rita Mae Brown
*Emma Donoghue
*Sarah Dreher
*Katherine V. Forrest
*Nancy Garden
*Radclyffe Hall
*Marianne K. Martin
*Val McDermid
*Julie Anne Peters
*Jane Rule
*Rita Schiano
*Sarah Waters
*Jeanette Winterson

ee also

*Lesbian literature
*Lesbian pulp fiction
*Lesbian science fiction
*Lesbian teen fiction
*LGBT literature
*Yuri (term)

References

External links

* [http://www.lorillake.com/HerstoryPortal.html Lesbian Fiction Herstory]
* [http://www.LesbianMysteries.com/ Lesbian Mysteries] features Lesbian Mystery Novels