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Famous gay authors in history

From Sappho to Stonewall, and beyond: how fiction tells LGBTQ+ history

Fiction tells us so much about the time we live in – and LGBTQ+ writers have been writing since the early days of literature. Their stories contain often, but not always, been marginalised, but they have always said something about the era in which they were first told or published. Here, we take a glance at the evolution of queer fiction across the ages – for brevity’s sake, focusing on the Western world – and what it reflects about that moment in history, from Sappho, to Stonewall, and beyond.

Queer stories in antiquity

Madeline Miller’s 2011 knock The Song of Achillesis a moving queer retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of immature prince Patroclus that simultaneously reflects pride in lgbtq+ relationships (Achilles remains adamant throughout that he and Patroclus be seen together) and modern anxieties about romantic relationships and masculinity – how men can be gentle, how to manage family expectations.

But being queer wasn’t always coded as different, and many myths don’t demand retelling: even before the printed word, ancient mythology and religious narratives were rife with r

This LGBT+ History Month we take a look at the impact of some of the most powerful queer writers of all time 

BY FELICIA KOCH, IMAGES BY FLICKR, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, AND HURRICANE FILMS

These queer authors made history not only through their revolutionary writing, but through their bravery in living life clamorously, boldly, and outside of the confines society attempted to stuff them into. The literature that they were so often chastised for creating continues to offer an open hand to those who crave and fight for the freedom of expression in love, life, and art. These iconic literary activists refused to submit to shame and silence and paved the way for the pride that the LGBTQIA community carries so strongly today.

Jane Rule (1931 – 2007) – Desert of the Heart 

The infamous novel, Desert Of The Heart turned cinematic masterpiece, Desert Hearts, starring Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau, was written by Canadian-American Writer, Jane Rule. 

Desert Of The Heart was the first novel Rule had ever written. She wrote it in 1961, a time when homosexual task was still a criminal offence in both the U.S. and Canada. Her book wasn’t published until 1964, after

Prominent Queer Writers Throughout History

  • Walt Whitman was an American poet, author, essayist, and journalist. He wrote well-known works such as Leaves of Grass and Song of Myself. Although he never confirmed his sexuality to the common, those close to him say he was very open about being queer.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman
  • Oscar Wilde was an Irish novelist and poet. He is remembered by his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. This novel was largely criticized for having homoerotica. He is well-known for his "the love that dare not speak its name" in which he said "it is beautiful, it is fine, it is the noblest form of affection. There is nothing unnatural about it." He is one of the novelists that claim Whitman was queer, stating that they shared a brush once.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde
  • Virginia Woolf was an English writer and poet. She is top known for publishing Mrs. Dalloway, A Room of One's Own, and Orlando. She was a member of the Bloomsbury Community, a group of literary figures who encouraged organism liberated about sexuality and sensuality. She had a long-term relationship with female
    famous gay authors in history

     

     

    Part 1: Born before 1800

     

     

    Part 3: Born since 1900


    Newman


    Whitman


    Bonheur


    Gogol


    Cushman


    Ulrichs


    Emily Dickinson


    Carpenter


    We'wha

    Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) American poet
    Lived a very personal life, secretly writing more than a thousand poems, charcterized by lyrical intensity and paradoxes. Intimate affair with Susan Gilbert Dickinson, to whom she wrote many passionate love letters.

    Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Russian composer
    Many symphonies and ballets, from colorful melodies (Swan Lake, Nutcracker) to deeply expressive music (Romeo and Juliet) and a sense of tragic destiny (Pathétique Symphohy.). A private court may have ordered him to kill himself.

    John Addington Symonds (1840-1893) British art historian, critic
    Pioneer advocate of gay rights. Wrote the first history of homosexuality in English; emphasized the contribution of gay men in numerous writings on literature & art. Wrote his sexual autobiography for posterity.

    Henry James (1843-1916) American novelist
    Sophisticated prose style minutely delineating the nuances of nature,

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