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Your John: The Love Letters of Radclyffe Hall
"Passionate and revealing love letters from the iconic lesbian novelist . . . Radclyffe Hall is getting a fresh look. . . . Glasgow has chosen these letters well and provides helpful context."
--Kirkus Review
"Many assumptions have been made about the degree to which Radclyffe Hall's lesbian classic, The Well of Loneliness , may be autobiographical. Your John dismisses such notions. This exhaustive collection of letters written between 1934 and 1942 to Evguenia Souline, a White Russian émigré with whom Hall fell deeply in love are detailed, intimate records of Hall's personal life and convictions. . . . the collection is a heart-wrenching record of how politics, money, and geography converged to undermine these women's dreams."
--Publisher's Weekly
This landmark book represents the first publication of original writing by Radclyffe Hall, author of The Well of Loneliness , in over 50 years.
One of the most famous and influential lesbian novelists of the twentieth century, Hall became a cause clbre in 1928, upon the publication of her novel The Well of Loneliness , when the British government brought action on behalf of the Crown to declare the book obscene. Probably the most widely read lesbian novel ever written, the book has been continuously in print since its first publication and remains to this day an important part of the literary landscape.
Expertly deciphered and edited by Hall scholar and biographer Joanne Glasgow, Your John is a selection of Hall's love letters to Evguenia Souline, a White Russian èmigrè with whom Hall fell completely and passionately in love in the summer of 1934. Written between this first meeting and the onset of Hall's last illness in 1942, these letters detail Hall's growing obsession, the pain to her life partner Una Troubridge of this betrayal, and the poignant hopelessness of a happy resolution for any of the three women. It was ultimately this relationship, Glasgow argues, which tragically precipitated the decline in Hall's creative work and her health. The letters also provide important new information about her views on lesbianism and take us well beyond the artistic limits she imposed on the characters in The Well of Loneliness . They shed light on her views on religion, politics, war, and the literary and artistic scene. Illuminating both the nature of her relationships and her views on the current politics of the time, Your John will greatly extend the range of our knowledge about Radclyffe Hall.
--Kirkus Review
"Many assumptions have been made about the degree to which Radclyffe Hall's lesbian classic, The Well of Loneliness , may be autobiographical. Your John dismisses such notions. This exhaustive collection of letters written between 1934 and 1942 to Evguenia Souline, a White Russian émigré with whom Hall fell deeply in love are detailed, intimate records of Hall's personal life and convictions. . . . the collection is a heart-wrenching record of how politics, money, and geography converged to undermine these women's dreams."
--Publisher's Weekly
This landmark book represents the first publication of original writing by Radclyffe Hall, author of The Well of Loneliness , in over 50 years.
One of the most famous and influential lesbian novelists of the twentieth century, Hall became a cause clbre in 1928, upon the publication of her novel The Well of Loneliness , when the British government brought action on behalf of the Crown to declare the book obscene. Probably the most widely read lesbian novel ever written, the book has been continuously in print since its first publication and remains to this day an important part of the literary landscape.
Expertly deciphered and edited by Hall scholar and biographer Joanne Glasgow, Your John is a selection of Hall's love letters to Evguenia Souline, a White Russian èmigrè with whom Hall fell completely and passionately in love in the summer of 1934. Written between this first meeting and the onset of Hall's last illness in 1942, these letters detail Hall's growing obsession, the pain to her life partner Una Troubridge of this betrayal, and the poignant hopelessness of a happy resolution for any of the three women. It was ultimately this relationship, Glasgow argues, which tragically precipitated the decline in Hall's creative work and her health. The letters also provide important new information about her views on lesbianism and take us well beyond the artistic limits she imposed on the characters in The Well of Loneliness . They shed light on her views on religion, politics, war, and the literary and artistic scene. Illuminating both the nature of her relationships and her views on the current politics of the time, Your John will greatly extend the range of our knowledge about Radclyffe Hall.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 20, 2013
I very much enjoyed reading this collection of love letters! I did not find it depressing or sad until the very end but was blown away by the passionate energy the letters convey. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the life of this intriguing lesbian icon. True, some of the sentiments she expresses at times are over the top but that is who she was and I was fascinated to get a glimpse into her deepest self.
January 15, 2011
Interesting, especially since the love affair is told from Hall's point of view and not a biographer's. (The author does mention her views on the triangle in the inrtoduction but it does not distract from the letters). It did take a long time to get through because the letters became increasingly depressing but all in all, I thought it was well worth reading.
December 22, 2007
this was really interesting but im trying to forget i read it- radclyffe doesnt seem like she was a very nice person....
April 8, 2013
Fascinating, beautifully written but I can't help feeling sorry for poor John!
March 23, 2024
This was interesting, and the letters were passionate and never boring, due to the depth of emotion they conveyed, but I grew to dislike Radclyffe Hall. She was kind of controlling, domineering, condescending, and a little...patronizing to Soulina. She also used the most HORRIFIC terms of endearment - literally, her favorites were "pig" and "piggie" and "royal chink piggie", which....I understand that was not necessarily considered a slur then, but it really tinged all the letters in a certain direction. Near the end, also, John was exerting financial control over Soulina, telling her she wouldn't give her a certain amount of money unless she did as John liked, and there are other examples of ways she tried to influence Soulina. Soulina didn't necessarily come to me in that positive a light either, from what we saw of her in John's letters, but John seemed worse. Not that I hate either of them, and I respect John for her literary endeavors, for living openly and bravely the life she did, etc., but this was just the impression I got from reading the letters. It was sweet to see how much John adored Soulina, though, and to see how frankly and utterly straightforwardly she said so.
April 12, 2024
Such an interesting read! Highly recommend if you're curious about Hall's life.
February 17, 2015
Beautifully written and often very funny and passionate love letters. I would have liked it if Souline's letters were available as well but seeing as they were destroyed just having Hall's letters to her are nice.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews