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Isle of Lesbos: Poetry : Resources : Biographies

Biographical Sources

To read more about the lives of lesbian and bisexual women poets, you can explore the books listed in the bibliographies for individual poets (see entries in Historical Lesbian Poetry). If you'd like to read about more than one author, try one of the biographical collections listed here.

Chloe Plus Olivia by Lillian Faderman (New York: Penguin Books, 1994).

Subtitled "An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the Seventeenth Century to the Present" this impressive 812-page reference offers biographical information, examples of work from lesbian and bisexual authors (many of them poets), and discussions of the lesbian literary "climate" during particular time periods.

The Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage, edited by Claude J. Summers (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1995).

This amazing encyclopedic reference (786 pages, 350 entries) includes essays on gay and lesbian writers throughout history, as well as discussions on literary topics, such as lesbian poetry. Many of the female poets included here are discussed in this book.

The Gay & Lesbian Literary Companion, by Sharon Malinowski and Christa Brelin (Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1995)

Includes biographies of 45 writers (some heterosexual) who have written important work on lesbigay themes. This isn't quite the comprehensive tome that the The Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage is, but is still interesting.in its own right. It isn't clear why the authors chose to profile certain poets and ignore others--only a select group is included. Of lesbian poets, the book includes biographies of Elsa Gidlow and Gertrude Stein, as well as contemporary poets such as Jewelle Gomez, Judy Grahn, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and May Sarton.

Surpassing the Love of Men by Lillian Faderman (New York: Quill, 1981).

Subtitled "Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to the Present." While this book (by the author of Chloe Plus Olivia) addresses romantic relationships between women in general, not just writers, it includes interesting information about many prominent poets. Some of the background Faderman provides here is not available elsewhere.