Historical Fictionistas discussion

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for LGBT historical fiction or non-fiction besides Sarah Waters and Lillian Faderman. I prefer small presses, but I'll take books from the Big 5, too.
Thanks

The only one that quickly comes to mind is The Song of Achilles.

There are some classics by Mary Renault about Alexander the Great, Fire from Heavenand The Persian Boy. She also wrote a contemporary (in her day, but historical from our perspective) lesbian novel (published under various titles but the U.S. title that seems most common is The Middle Mist).

Have you looked at the backlist of Alyson Books? There might be some historical novels there.

As Meat loves Salt

Two Spirits: A Story of Life with the Navajo is a gay historical novel that deals with the forced relocation of the Navajo to a reservation at Bosque Redondo in the 19th century. It's published by Lethe Press.

Rubyfruit Jungle

I strongly second the recommendation of The Song of Achilles . It's my all-time favorite book and I can't say enough good things about it.

Someone else above mentioned Mary Renault - she also wrote The Last of the Wine, about two young men studying under Socrates during the Peloponnesian War. I don't like her writing style but in terms of LGBT historical fiction all her works are classics.

I also liked Loving Eleanor, about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and reporter Lorena Hickok.

Memoirs of Hadrian shows the relationship between Emperor Hadrian and his lover Antinous very well, although that is far from the only thing covered in the novel (Antinous died rather young).

Those are the ones I've personally read. I also have Marlene on my to-read list, and from the reviews it seems as if her bisexuality and her various relationships with both men and women are a big part of the book but I haven't read it myself yet.

I have a super recommendation about three young Canadians, one of whom is gay, who live through World War Two. It won the People's Choice Award from the Alberta Library Association and has been on the Edmonton bestseller list dozens of times.

Thanks, everyone.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the Regeneration series by Pat Barker explores homosexuality during WWI. I'd have to go back and read them but I definitely remember it being present.

Another is The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis.

Equal of the Sun by Anita Amirrezvani

Just finished a great one: Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters. You might also like:
Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin

Oh, glad to see this thread starting up again. I've got a few new ones since last time.

Jam on the Vine by LaShonda Katrice Barnett about the first female-founded African-American newspaper in the 1910s, which was founded by Ivoe Williams and her former teacher/lover, Ona.

Revolutionary by Alex Myers about Deborah Sampson, who fought in the American Revolution as a man (written by a trans author, so that is the angle the book takes. According to the author's website, Deborah Sampson is also a distant ancestor).

The Republic of Vengeance by Paul Waters, about a young Roman man during the Punic Wars of the 3rd century BCE who meets and falls in love with a Greek athlete.

The Unreal Life of Sergey Nabokov by Paul Russell, about the brother of Vladimir Nabokov. Sergey Nabokov was gay and spent a lot of time in Paris with the Lost Generation (Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas make appearances). His life did end in a concentration camp if that was something anyone wanted to avoid, but it sounds interesting.

Thanks, guys. Some of those books sound really interesting.

Christopher wrote: "There are literally hundreds of GlBTQ historical novels. Just look at Dreamspinner and Harmony Ink Press to see lots, but if you go to Amazon .com and search for "hay historical novels" or "lesbian..."

This is fascinating! I absolutely plan to check all these suggestions out!

I may have recommended this one before, but A Wake For The Dreamland is a very interesting account of three friends in World War Two, one of whom is a gay soldier in the Canadian Army. It has won Reader's Choice awards and I really enjoyed it.

There is a book by alison Richman titled which has a homosexual japanese male character

I read Another Country many years ago but it definitely relevant today.

My 2nd novel Truly Are the Free has a substantial subplot that revolves around emerging fluid notions of sexuality in avant-garde Paris after WWI. Two important supporting characters who live with the female main are LGBTQ, both of whom haven fallen in with the Dadaists.

Believe this complies with the site rules on recommending one's own work? (If not, delete away moderators and sorry.)

I wrote a novel about a lesbian artist in late 19th century Europe.
"The Flower to the Painter" The character also appears in my first Inspector Lefebvre mystery, "The Devil in Montmare."

Jeffrey wrote: "My 2nd novel Truly Are the Free has a substantial subplot that revolves around emerging fluid notions of sexuality in avant-garde Paris after..."

Yeah, I would say that it is specifically relevant enough to be allowed. :)

The author of Another Country was James Baldwin.

Valancourt Books has been reprinting vintage/19th century books with LGBT themes :)
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/redisc...

I've found more! These are, again, books I haven't actually read yet so I don't know how good they are, but they are all historical fiction books about LGBTQ+ people.

The World Unseen about two South Asian women who fall in love in 1950s South Africa

Under the Udala Trees, set in 1960s Nigeria

Bittersweet, two women in 19th century Nevada

Undiscovered Country, about Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok again

Patience & Sarah, two women in 19th century New England

Dancer, about Rudolf Nureyev

Who Is Vera Kelly? a spy novel in 1950s USA and 1960s Argentina

Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 - based on the true story of a Nazi collaborator and her lover in 1930s Paris

Never Anyone But You 1930s Paris, again

The Last Nude artists in Jazz Age Paris

Jazz Moon musicians in Jazz Age Paris

The Miniaturist a bi artist in Mughal India

Confessions of the Fox, reimagines the life of a thief in early eighteenth century London

I recommend The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.

This is YA but it might be what you're looking for: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

The definitive study of the beginning of the AIDS crises is discussed in And The Band Played On.

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

Gay couple in mid 19th century America.
My review HERE

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Maurice by E.M. Forster

Set in early 20th century, and written between 1913-1914, but not published until 1971, a year after the author's death. The novel caused a sensation when published, not because of the subject matter, but because Forster dared to write a "happy ending" for his character.

My Review HERE

I recently read Rughum & Najda by Samar Habib. Probably a unique look in fiction at lesbian communities in 9th century Baghdad and Morocco, written by a historian of same. Independently published by her.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Other independently published:

A series set in 12th century China, beginning with The Academician.

Jalendu in Mughal India.

My Mongol series beginning Against Walls

The Hearts Invisible Furies - a story about a gay Irish man born at the end of World War II and it goes through present day.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Fionn: Defence of Ráth Bládhma by Brian O'Sullivan, set in ancient Ireland, stars a kick-ass lesbian couple (one is a druidess and the other a warrior).

The Huntress by Kate Quinn includes a lesbian relationship that is important to the plot.

My own The Winged Horse includes a homosexual character who is important to the story, although I wouldn't claim that element of his character plays a significant role.

In The Ventriloquists by E.R. Ramzipoor, which won't be out until August, the characters' homosexuality is a vital part of the story, setting it apart from the many other WWII novels put out in the last couple of years.

I'm sure I can find others, but those are the three that occur to me so far.