Five historical novels on prostitution

What should you be reading during the summer holidays? I have listed my current favourite historic novels on prostitution, although, not all of them are set in the nineteenth century. Yet, the books have in common that they are character studies in which the main leads undergo a journey of transformation as a result of the choices they make. The stories are mainly told through the eyes of the protagonists and it even feels as if they are literally sitting next to you on a bench talking. As a reader, it seems rude to stand up and leave. Besides, you really really want to know how their stories evolve. So I can highly recommend these page-turners. Three of them are written in English and two in Dutch. 

ENGLISH NOVELS

1. Michel Faber, The crimson petal and the white (Edinburgh 2002)

With almost 840 pages it is quite a journey you make with the main character. Yet it was one of the hardest books to put down. When the final chapter was nearing I had to put myself on a 'reading diet' by limiting the number of pages to devour each day. I just did not want this novel to end. The fictional story is set in London during the 1870s. It introduces the city with its upcoming department stores, thriving entertainment industry, but also its social struggles, slums and adjustment problems to the new modern era. In these changing times the book positions the story of Sugar, a 19-year-old prostitute who starts a relationship with William Rackham, a man stuck in the business of perfumeries and unstable marriage. The ending of the book is both unexpected and brilliant. See this review in the Guardian and an interview with the Dutch author.  

2. Sheila Cousins, To beg I am ashamed: the autobiography of a London Prostitute (New York 1938)

"You really should read this book. I think you are going to like it", my colleague Maaike said to me when she handed me this old novel from our university library storage room. She was right. The real author's name is said to be Ronald Mattews who had probably help from Graham Green. According to the publisher's note in the book, the story is the genuine experience of a prostitute, but all names and places in it are altered. This autobiography of "Sheila" tells how her career as a prostitute in London started and how she, besides the downsides, also enjoys the freedom it provides her. When a man, Richard, falls in love with her, life changes drastically and is less idyllic than she assumed. Originally the book should have been published at Routledge but was cancelled for fear that it would be considered a scandalous story. It was then published in Paris and became a bestseller. 

3. Paulo Coelho, The Spy: a novel of Mata Hari (London 2017)

The well-known author Paulo Coelho shows his interpretation of the Dutch Margaretha Zell story, otherwise known as Mata Hari, her famous stage name in Paris. Accused of being a spy for the Germans and waiting for the courts' verdict in France during the First World War, she writes her side of the story in a long letter to her solicitor Eduard Clunet, convinced that she will be found innocent of treason. Reading her sometimes slightly naive account one wonders how she could not have foreseen her fate. But the writing of Coelho is really enthralling and this book has appeared in many languages.   

DUTCH NOVELS

4. Marilou Nillesen, Ontwaak zonder mij (Leeuwarden 2020)

In this debut novel by Marilou Nillesen the reader steps in the shoes of a fictional historian, Nine van der Meer, who travels to Paris to do research in the old archives on  Esther Lachmann, a genuine nineteenth-century Russian courtesan. With Nine you make an imaginary journey and discover Paris two centuries earlier. However, the life cycles of twenty-first-century Nine and nineteenth-century Esther begin to intertwine during the story. A beautifully written book by an author who in daily life works at the archives of BHIC. See also this interview with her in Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch).     

5. Marlies Alewijn, De Meid (Alkmaar 2018)

A special book for me in this top 5. The author used, among others, the Dutch version of this blog for background information. One of the prostitutes I researched, Alida Louise Swam, has even been given a small part in this novel. The book is based on the true story of maidservant Neeltje Lokerse who at the beginning of the twentieth century wanted to support prostitutes in need, but instead got herself in trouble when she gave birth to a child and whose father refused to acknowledge it. Neeltje takes revenge and this drastic action ultimately leads to the Dutch law Loeff in which research on paternity and alimony became realised in 1909. The final pages of the book give an overview of the sources that were used for this fascinating interpretation. 

Resilient women

Besides the approach, the contents of the books are similar too. The novels are set in metropolises, mainly London and Paris. The women in the stories are resilient, most of them working as independent prostitutes. Combined with the fact that they are beautifully written, these books deserve to be read.

 

If you have any great novels on the topic to add then let me know!