Lesbian Literary History Olivia by Dorothy Bussy 1949 Early American Edition

Olivia Dorothy Bussy

First Edition

Olivia [Bussy, Dorothy]. Olivia (1949) is a foundational work of lesbian fiction presenting same-sex desire between women in a mid-20th century literary context where such themes were rarely depicted with narrative centrality. The novel supports research into LGBTQ literary history, women’s writing, and queer modernist networks, particularly through its connection to the Bloomsbury circle. Published anonymously at the time, the work offers a sustained portrayal of female homoerotic experience within an educational institution, contributing early narrative space for lesbian subjectivity in Anglo-American literature.

Olivia [Bussy, Dorothy]. Olivia. New York: William Sloane Associates, 1949. First edition, second printing. The narrative follows a teenage English student at a French girls’ boarding school who develops an intense emotional and romantic attachment to her headmistress, Mlle. Julie. Scenes unfold within classrooms, dormitories, and private encounters, emphasizing interpersonal dynamics between students and faculty, as well as the charged atmosphere of institutional life. The text adopts a memoir-like structure, presenting the protagonist’s experiences with attention to emotional development and interpersonal intimacy rather than moral condemnation. Unlike many contemporaneous treatments of same-sex desire, the relationship is depicted without imposed punishment, instead maintaining a tone of seriousness and interior reflection. The novel’s anonymity at publication and later attribution to Dorothy Bussy situate it within a network of literary and personal associations, including connections to figures within the Bloomsbury Group.

One volume; 120 pages; small octavo; original patterned paper-covered boards with green cloth spine and gilt-stamped spine panel; lacking dust jacket. Issued simultaneously in Paris and New York, the book entered circulation during a period when lesbian themes remained largely excluded from mainstream publishing, preceding wider visibility in postwar American culture. Its later recognition has positioned it alongside other early works addressing female same-sex desire, contributing to reassessment of mid-century queer literature. Light rubbing to board edges and spine ends with minor nicking at spine foot; corners gently bumped; interior clean with sound binding; very good overall. An early American printing of a key text in lesbian literary history documenting same-sex relationships within a controlled institutional setting.

Item #22841

Price: $220.00