Into the Labyrinth
London: Secker & Warburg, 1953. First English language translation, first printing. Publisher's blue cloth, in Stein dust jacket (10s 6d). [1-4], 5-210. 7.5" x 5" Some offsetting and fading to front board and spine, a slight bow, and toned page edges, overall a very good or better copy in like dust jacket, with some light edge wear, toning, and 1 1/2" closed tear at spine foot, in mylar cover. Item #238860
A LANDMARK DEBUT IN QUEER LITERATURE
Published when she was only 21, Françoise Mallet-Joris' debut novel Into the Labyrinth (originally Le Rempart des Béguines) stunned postwar readers with its psychological depth and frank portrayal of forbidden love between the novel’s teenage protagonist, Hélène, and her father’s alluring mistress. Set against the backdrop of bourgeois respectability in a cloistered Belgian town, Mallet deftly explores identity, power, and obsession through a queer lens rarely seen in mid-century European fiction. A landmark in both feminist and LGBTQ+ literary traditions, it remains one of the 20th century’s most important French-language debuts.
Price: $225.00