Pre-1969 LGBTQ Literature

List of the Month
June 2022 (see all)
Description
In honor of Pride Month, our June List of the Month is dedicated to LGBTQ Literature written and/or published before 1969. Given the wealth of Pride reading lists that highlight some of the great books of today, we wanted to draw attention to LGBTQ books from an earlier period. Titles may be either fiction or nonfiction, but they must have an LGBTQ connection, and they must have been written before 1969, even if they were not published until after that date. Ten titles may be added per person. Please only downvote titles if they do not fit the theme, or the parameters listed above.
1
47,081 members
750 reviews
4
2
7,645 members
178 reviews
4.2
3
4,874 members
90 reviews
4
4
12,378 members
203 reviews
3.9
5
3,560 members
129 reviews
3.8
6
12,080 members
196 reviews
4.2
7
23,233 members
376 reviews
3.8
8
14,100 members
286 reviews
4
9
3,155 members
57 reviews
½ 3.5
10
1,264 members
37 reviews
4.1
7 Members
ablachly, queen_ypolita, DouglasAtEik, amanda4242, Heather39, Tosta, FleetSparrow
Explanations
amanda4242: Renault is best remembered for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece, but I really like this one set shortly after Dunkirk.
11
2,462 members
52 reviews
½ 3.7
12
3,484 members
52 reviews
4.2
13
3,059 members
46 reviews
½ 3.6
14
660 members
11 reviews
½ 3.7
15
4,738 members
187 reviews
½ 3.7
16
456 members
10 reviews
4
7 Members
Aquila, mysanal, TheLOFT, Dilara86, AbigailAdams26, jeancotchin, Bking150,themulhern
Explanations
themulhern : No internal or historical evidence that Sappho was actually gay. The sort of poetry she wrote was conventionally written by lyric poets of her time.
17
3,572 members
66 reviews
½ 3.4
18
3,597 members
72 reviews
½ 3.7
19
3,048 members
99 reviews
½ 3.7
6 Members
Rtrace, mysanal, amanda4242, sturlington, aspirit, bonchcronch
Explanations
aspirit: Pub 1966. | Queer main character written by an openly gay author.
20
83 members
5 reviews
½ 3.6
21
2,871 members
56 reviews
3.8
22
6,176 members
71 reviews
4
23
3,312 members
39 reviews
4.1
24
253 members
8 reviews
½ 3.4
25
207 members
1 review
½ 3.6
26
555 members
13 reviews
3.9
3 Members
EMoore1013, walterhpdx, aspirit
Explanations
aspirit: Pub. 1944 | Bisexual author's first novel, fictionalizing his real struggles with alcoholism and sexuality.
27
76 members
½ 3.7
28
1,133 members
11 reviews
½ 3.7
29
1,787 members
26 reviews
½ 4.3
3 Members
hipdeep, gtross, DelD
Explanations
gtross: Probably the best known body of gay verse in any language. Not every poem in the "Complete" Cavafy is on a gay theme, but his homoerotic verse is justifiably famous.
30
2,623 members
95 reviews
4
31
141 members
3 reviews
½ 3.4
32
2,094 members
30 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
Proclus, Stefcxjo
33
1,902 members
28 reviews
4
2 Members
hipdeep, -Pia-
35
793 members
6 reviews
4.1
36
3,047 members
44 reviews
½ 4.3
37
2,990 members
68 reviews
4.1
38
3,496 members
95 reviews
3.8
39
429 members
10 reviews
3.8
2 Members
FAMeulstee, alex68
40
837 members
25 reviews
4
2 Members
gtross, DelD
Explanations
gtross: Unrequited homosexual love story, between a male professor and his male student.
41
9,007 members
157 reviews
4.2
2 Members
gtross, TheLOFT
Explanations
gtross: Surprised this one wasn't already on the list. The narrator, Charles Kinbote, is sexually attracted to men, and throughout the novel engages in a series of affairs with (mostly) younger men. He is also obsessed with his neighbor, the poet John Shade, though I don't think this obsession is of a romantic nature.
42
93 members
2 reviews
½ 3.4
43
79 members
1 review
3.9
44
1,839 members
30 reviews
4.1
45
895 members
14 reviews
3.8
46
4,159 members
74 reviews
4
2 Members
pamelad, ahef1963
47
5,999 members
119 reviews
½ 3.7
48
1,067 members
15 reviews
3.9
49
1,320 members
18 reviews
4
2 Members
susanbooks, DelD
50
442 members
10 reviews
4.2
2 Members
Aquila, susanbooks
51
2 members
2 Members
arachnepress, DelD
52
394 members
9 reviews
½ 3.5
53
12 members
1 review
3
55
105 members
3 reviews
3.9
56
40 members
½ 3.7
2 Members
castel15, DelD
57
1,700 members
11 reviews
3.9
58
2 Members
iamFOXFIRE, DelD
59
3,103 members
53 reviews
3.9
2 Members
amanda4242, alex68
60
555 members
6 reviews
3.9
2 Members
hipdeep, reesetee
61
3,004 members
60 reviews
½ 3.4
2 Members
hipdeep, quondame
62
519 members
14 reviews
3.8
2 Members
amanda4242, arachnepress,karenb
Explanations
karenb : Published after 1969 (2017)
amanda4242: Published in 1927.
63
2,652 members
35 reviews
3.9
Member
gtross
Explanations
gtross: Published 1934. Two of the stories ("The Roads Round Pisa" and "The Monkey") explicitly thematize queer sexualities, and most of the rest inventively treat the same.
64
2,050 members
17 reviews
3.9
Member
Proclus
65
1,458 members
33 reviews
½ 3.7
66
688 members
16 reviews
3.8
Member
aspirit
Explanations
aspirit: Pub. 1835
67
580 members
12 reviews
½ 3.7
68
572 members
3 reviews
4
Member
noveltea
69
568 members
16 reviews
4
70
466 members
9 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
pamelad
71
161 members
2 reviews
½ 3.5
72
66 members
1 review
4.1
Member
Heather39
73
54 members
1 review
3.8
74
43 members
1 review
½ 4.5
75
14 members
76
1 member
Member
Rommert
77
4,063 members
42 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
amydross
78
1,505 members
24 reviews
4
79
165 members
4 reviews
3.1
80
109 members
3 reviews
½ 4.3
81
109 members
1 review
½ 3.3
Member
Rommert
82
81 members
½ 3.4
Member
EMS_24
83
80 members
3 reviews
½ 2.4
84
67 members
3.9
85
47 members
2 reviews
3.8
86
Member
aspirit
Explanations
aspirit: Published a century later but ~2/3 of the book consists of the letters from 1890 into 1918
87
22 members
3.8
88
14 members
1 review
5
89
2,475 members
35 reviews
3.9
90
762 members
7 reviews
4.1
Member
pamelad
91
472 members
9 reviews
½ 3.6
92
289 members
5 reviews
½ 3.6
93
96 members
1 review
3
94
58 members
3 reviews
4
96
24 members
4.1
Member
aspirit
Explanations
aspirit: Pub. 1902
97
12 members
Member
Rommert
98
11 members
½ 3.7
99
6 members
100
1,069 members
25 reviews
½ 3.5