As LGBTQIA+ History Month draws to a close here in the UK, it feels fitting that this month’s Classic of the Month has been Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness.
Published in 1928, the novel follows Stephen Gordon, a woman who grows up knowing she is “different.” She falls in love with women and longs, above all, to be recognised as she truly is. There’s no explicit romance - the most intimate line is simply: “And that night, they were not divided.” That alone was enough to cause outrage.
The book was banned in Britain, not because it was graphic, but because it refused to condemn queer love. The idea that a lesbian character might deserve dignity and sympathy was considered obscene. Copies were seized and the case went to court. For years, it could only be published abroad.
If you’d like to read more about the trial and why the book was described at the time as “corrosive,” the BBC’s retrospective on its reception is a fascinating deep dive.
Radclyffe Hall herself lived openly as a woman who loved women, wearing tailored suits and refusing to hide her relationships. In the 1920s, that visibility was radical. After the trial, she received thousands of letters from readers who had never before seen themselves reflected in print.
The novel carries the weight of its era. It is serious, often sorrowful, and shaped by the language and limits of its time. Stephen’s story is framed through struggle more than celebration.
That makes it a stark contrast to the queer stories we’re used to now. The warmth of Schitt's Creek, the tenderness of Heartstopper, the romance of Heated Rivalry. Today, queer love can be joyful, funny, messy, and centred.
Back then, The Well of Loneliness was asking for tolerance, not celebration.
It may not be a comfortable novel, but it is a landmark. Before joy could be centred, it first had to be defended. And this book, imperfect and earnest as it is, helped force that defence into the open.
It was our February Classic of the Month, and it felt like the right moment to send it out. If you’d like to read it and make up your own mind, you can find your copy here.