LESBIANA

BY GENE DAMON

THIS COLUMN IS A CONTINUOUS BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS ON THE LESBIAN THEME. THEY ARE NOT OFFERED FOR SALE IN THE DOB BOOK SERVICE

UNLESS SPECIFICALLY NOTED AS SUCH.

149. YOUNG AND INNOCENT BY EDWIN EST. MONARCH BOOKS, CONN.

DESPITE THE MISLEADING INFORMATION ON THE BLURB THIS IS A FIRST NOVEL BY A FEMININE AUTHOR. DISREGARDING THE USUAL FORMULA, "EDWIN .EST" HAS ATTEMPTED TO SHOW THE INNER WORKINGS OF A SUCCESSFUL LESBIAN MARRIAGE DISRUPTED BY A COMBINATION OF PETTY EVENTS AND THE SIMULTANEOUS APPEARANCE OF A DESIRABLE YOUNG GIRL. LAVINIA CARTWRIGHT AND SANDRA KEEL ARE BOTH FULLY ADULT, INTELLIGENT WOMEN AND THE WHYS AND WHEREFORES OF THEIR LIVES ARE THOROUGHLY EXAMINED AS THEY LIVE TOGETHER, AND SEPARATELY, THROUGH THE CRISIS OF LAVINIA'S BRIEF INTEREST IN ANOTHER WOMAN. AT THE PUBLISHER'S INSISTENCE SOME OF THIS NOVEL HAS POINTLESS ADDITIVES, BUT THE PRACTICED READER WILL HAVE NO DIFFICULTY IN SEPARATING THE GOOD FROM THE BAD. COMMENDABLE FOR ITS UNUSUAL ASPECT OF THE LESBIAN RELATIONSHIP. ONE HOPES TO SEE MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR.

(THIS NEW BOOK IS AVAILABLE FROM DOB BOOK SERVICE, 35# PLUS 10 HANDLING.)

150. BAUDELAIRE, RIMBAUD, VERLAINE: SELECTED VERSE AND PROSE POEMS, EDITED BY JOSEPH M. BERNSTEIN. CITADEL, N. Y. 1947.

A WONDERFUL ANTHOLOGY FOR THE LESBIANA COLLECTOR. THIS CONTAINS AN EXCELLENT TRANSLATION OF ALL THREE OF BAUDELAIRE'S LESBIAN POEMS: "DAMNED WOMEN #1 AND 2," AND "LESBOS." ALSO IT OFFERS THE ONLY ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF VERLAINE'S OVERT LESBIAN POETRY: "ON THE BALCONY," "PER AMICA SILENTIA," "YOUNG GIRLS AT SCHOOL," AND "SAPPHO." WITH THE EXCEPTION OF RENEE VIVIEN, NO POET WROTE AS EXPLICIT LESBIAN POETRY AS DID VERLAINE.

12