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
46,929 members
747 reviews
4
2
7,591 members
176 reviews
4.2
3
4,860 members
89 reviews
4
4
12,329 members
203 reviews
3.9
5
3,553 members
128 reviews
3.8
6
12,039 members
195 reviews
4.2
7
23,171 members
376 reviews
3.8
8
14,063 members
286 reviews
4
9
3,155 members
57 reviews
½ 3.5
10
1,261 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
2,453 members
52 reviews
½ 3.7
12
3,473 members
52 reviews
4.1
13
3,054 members
46 reviews
½ 3.6
14
662 members
11 reviews
½ 3.7
15
4,693 members
187 reviews
½ 3.7
16
3,588 members
72 reviews
½ 3.7
8 Members
richardderus, reesetee, ahef1963, tommi180744, quondame, FleetSparrow, jeancotchin, bonchcronch,karenb ,dianeham
Explanations
karenb : Published after 1969 (1973)
17
457 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.
18
3,560 members
66 reviews
½ 3.4
19
3,037 members
98 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
81 members
5 reviews
½ 3.6
21
2,860 members
56 reviews
3.8
22
6,162 members
71 reviews
4
23
3,308 members
38 reviews
4.1
24
252 members
8 reviews
½ 3.4
25
206 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
1,134 members
11 reviews
½ 3.7
29
1,781 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
2,612 members
95 reviews
4
31
141 members
3 reviews
½ 3.4
32
2,088 members
30 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
Proclus, Stefcxjo
33
1,897 members
28 reviews
4
2 Members
hipdeep, -Pia-
35
792 members
6 reviews
4.1
36
3,038 members
44 reviews
½ 4.3
37
2,979 members
68 reviews
4.1
38
3,492 members
94 reviews
3.8
39
427 members
10 reviews
3.8
2 Members
FAMeulstee, alex68
40
836 members
25 reviews
4
2 Members
gtross, DelD
Explanations
gtross: Unrequited homosexual love story, between a male professor and his male student.
41
8,982 members
158 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
94 members
2 reviews
½ 3.4
43
79 members
1 review
3.9
44
1,835 members
30 reviews
4.1
45
892 members
14 reviews
3.8
46
4,158 members
74 reviews
4
2 Members
pamelad, ahef1963
47
5,979 members
119 reviews
½ 3.7
48
1,066 members
15 reviews
3.9
49
1,319 members
18 reviews
4
2 Members
susanbooks, DelD
50
439 members
10 reviews
4.2
2 Members
Aquila, susanbooks
51
2 members
2 Members
arachnepress, DelD
52
393 members
9 reviews
½ 3.5
53
12 members
1 review
3
55
105 members
3 reviews
3.9
56
39 members
½ 3.7
2 Members
castel15, DelD
57
1,697 members
11 reviews
3.9
58
2 Members
iamFOXFIRE, DelD
59
3,088 members
53 reviews
3.9
2 Members
amanda4242, alex68
60
552 members
6 reviews
3.9
2 Members
hipdeep, reesetee
61
2,998 members
60 reviews
½ 3.4
2 Members
hipdeep, quondame
62
518 members
14 reviews
3.8
2 Members
amanda4242, arachnepress,karenb
Explanations
karenb : Published after 1969 (2017)
amanda4242: Published in 1927.
63
2,646 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
2,048 members
17 reviews
3.9
Member
Proclus
65
1,454 members
33 reviews
½ 3.7
66
688 members
16 reviews
3.8
Member
aspirit
Explanations
aspirit: Pub. 1835
67
578 members
12 reviews
½ 3.7
68
572 members
3 reviews
4
Member
noveltea
69
568 members
16 reviews
4
70
463 members
9 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
pamelad
71
161 members
2 reviews
½ 3.5
72
65 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
4,048 members
42 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
amydross
78
1,505 members
24 reviews
4
79
164 members
4 reviews
3.1
80
109 members
3 reviews
½ 4.3
81
109 members
1 review
½ 3.3
Member
Rommert
82
82 members
1 review
½ 3.4
Member
EMS_24
83
79 members
2 reviews
½ 2.4
84
66 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
13 members
1 review
5
89
2,472 members
35 reviews
3.9
90
762 members
7 reviews
4.1
Member
pamelad
91
472 members
9 reviews
½ 3.6
92
288 members
5 reviews
½ 3.6
93
94 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
1,066 members
25 reviews
½ 3.5