The Well of Lonelyness - Radclyffe Hall

Marguerite Radclyffe Hall (1886-1943) was an English writer known for numerous poems and novels, but her masterpiece, the novel that made her name known worldwide, was "

The Well of Loneliness." The novel addresses the theme of female homosexuality and, upon its publication in 1928, sparked one of the most famous obscenity trials in British legal history. Disappointed with the birth of a daughter, the parents raise her as a boy. This leads to a series of problems she must face in her childhood and adolescence. More painful is her situation in youth when, oppressed by society, she suffers from problems she is not equipped to solve. The strength of "The Well of Loneliness" lies in the precise and disturbing examination the author makes of heterosexual society and the detrimental effects of its norms and prejudices. The work is part of the famous collection: "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die."