THE MOST FAMOUS LESBIAN NOVEL FOR DECADES – AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
‘The bible of lesbianism’ THE TIMES
‘A beacon for sexual self-discovery’ HEPHZIBAH ANDERSON, BBC CULTURE
‘One of the first and most influential contributions of gay and lesbian literature’ NEW STATESMAN
A powerful novel of love between women, The Well of Loneliness brought about the most famous legal trial for obscenity in the history of British law. Banned on publication in 1928, it then went on to become a classic bestseller.
‘What do I care for the world’s opinion? What do I care for anything but you!’
Stephen Gordon (named by a father desperate for a son) is not like other girls: she hunts, she fences, she reads books, wears trousers and longs to cut her hair. She is an ideal child of aristocratic parents who grows up to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. But Stephen is a woman, and her lovers are women.
In the stifling grandeur of Morton Hall, the locals begin to draw away from her, aware of some indefinable thing that sets her apart. And when Stephen Gordon reaches maturity, she falls passionately in love with another woman. As her ambitions drive and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions.
Introduced by Diana Souhami, author of the acclaimed biography The Trials of Radclyffe Hall.
‘The bible of lesbianism’ THE TIMES
‘A beacon for sexual self-discovery’ HEPHZIBAH ANDERSON, BBC CULTURE
‘One of the first and most influential contributions of gay and lesbian literature’ NEW STATESMAN
A powerful novel of love between women, The Well of Loneliness brought about the most famous legal trial for obscenity in the history of British law. Banned on publication in 1928, it then went on to become a classic bestseller.
‘What do I care for the world’s opinion? What do I care for anything but you!’
Stephen Gordon (named by a father desperate for a son) is not like other girls: she hunts, she fences, she reads books, wears trousers and longs to cut her hair. She is an ideal child of aristocratic parents who grows up to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. But Stephen is a woman, and her lovers are women.
In the stifling grandeur of Morton Hall, the locals begin to draw away from her, aware of some indefinable thing that sets her apart. And when Stephen Gordon reaches maturity, she falls passionately in love with another woman. As her ambitions drive and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions.
Introduced by Diana Souhami, author of the acclaimed biography The Trials of Radclyffe Hall.
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Reviews
Passionately felt and courageous
Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness still holds a place as a beacon for sexual self-discovery
The bible of lesbianism
Beautifully written and constructed, with delightful prose. It is the standard-bearer; the lesbian The Grapes of Wrath
A pioneering lesbian novel
The archetypal lesbian novel
One of the first and most influential contributions of gay and lesbian literature
The outpouring of support Hall received from members of the public around the world, who wrote to thank her for creating, in her heroine Stephen Gordon, a character with whom they could identify
