Radclyffe Hall 
The Well of Loneliness 

The Well of Loneliness, by Radclyffe Hall, was originally published in 1928, it’s a seminal work in lesbian literature, though it was controversial at the time of its release.

The novel tells the story of Stephen Gordon, a woman named after the son her parents hoped for, who identifies herself as an ’invert, ’ a term used at the time to describe a homosexual person. The story explores Stephen’s experiences with love and society’s rejection, highlighting the challenges faced by those who deviate from the norms of their time in terms of sexual and gender identity.

The book was subject to a famous obscenity trial in the UK, which led to its banishment, yet it played a crucial role in the discourse on homosexuality in literature.