Book Description Stephen is an ideal child of aristocratic parents - a fencer, a horse rider and a keen scholar. Stephen grows to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. But Stephen is a woman, and her lovers are women. As her ambitions drive her, and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions. It was banned for obscenity in 1928. It became an international bestseller, and for decades was the single most famous lesbian novel. From Booklist Hall (1880-1943) was legendary in her own time--or infamous, some might say--for her fifth novel, The Well of Loneliness (1928). The book was banned for obscenity because its main character is a lesbian, and it subsequently became a notorious best-seller, thrusting Hall into a literary rogues' gallery of fame. Cline uses previously unexplored material to create a biography of the now largely forgotten author that portrays the dense interrelationship of her writings, her childhood, and her friends and loves. Hall called herself by three names: Marguerite, the name with which she had been christened and which she hated, given as it was by the mother she despised; John, her chosen name, which she used among her associates; and Radclyffe, her pen name. The three often enigmatic selves these names indicated formed her public and private personae. The roots giving rise to her international lesbian best-seller are traceable to her early adolescent loves as well as her affairs with married sculptor Una Troubridge and many others--matters that Cline presents in a lively and readable style. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Whitney Scott From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Heather Downey The Well of Loneliness is a path-breaking novel. Published by Radclyffe Hall herself in 1928, it was immediately banned in Britain due to its lesbian theme and was allowed in the United States only after a long court battle. Once it was available, The Well of Loneliness sold more than 20,000 copies its first year and paved the way for other works with lesbian themes. The novel concerns a girl born into a wealthy English family at the turn of the century and named Stephen by her father who desperately wanted a boy. Practically from birth, Stephen is described as "different," yet while Radclyffe Hall delivers the powerful message that lesbianism is natural, she also asks the reader to have pity on Stephen Gordon, for, along with the popular psychoanalysts of her day, Radclyffe Hall describes lesbianism as an "inversion." The "terrible mark of Cain" compels Stephen to forsake the woman she loves to protect her from a life of ostracism. This message, along with Radclyffe Hall's portrayal of lesbians in stereotypical "butch" and "femme" roles, caused the book to be written off by feminists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In addition, many readers today may find the language long-winded and the characters one-dimensional, with the exception of the thinly-veiled portrait of the author as Stephen Gordon. Nonetheless, The Well of Loneliness is worth reading because it shattered the silence of oppression and conveys a message about homophobia and internalized shame relevant to lesbians even today. Book Dimension : length: (cm)19.8 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)12.6

《孤寂深渊》系英语文学中第一部专写女同性恋的名篇，被奉为“女同性恋者的圣经”。作品于1928年问世之初即招致激烈争议，称颂者认为它“真实、坦诚、勇敢无畏”，“意向崇高”，是“卢梭的（忏悔录》之属”的“杰作”，问难者则谴责该作“厚颜无耻”、“令人作呕”，违背公德，宣扬堕落，最后伦敦违警罪法庭无视作者的强烈抗议和萧伯纳、福斯特、艾略特、吴尔夫夫妇及海明威、德莱塞等四十余位知名人士的声援，将该小说判为“淫秽”，并下令查禁和销毁，酿成了轰动现代文坛的一大公案。小说以女同性恋者斯蒂芬·戈登一生的性倒错活动为线索，展示了一个女同性恋者的成长、生活及心路历程。由于作家霍尔本人既是一位富有传奇色彩的女同性恋者，又是“艺术素养极高”的严肃作家，这就使得作品真切自然，清丽脱俗，而且就心理学和社会学方面也极具研究价值。 该书在作者去世六年后的1949年在英国开禁，1975年在美国开禁。这部小说现已有法、德、意、西等许多语种的译本，平均每隔十年左右总要在欧美各国掀起一阵阅读热潮。