Forbidden Fires

An autobiographical novel, first published in 1958, about the founder of a literary magazine and her love for a French actress who claims that her religious faith makes it impossible to discuss, much less act on, the two women's desire for each other, isaccompanied by biographical and historical information

Anderson (1886^-1973) founded and edited the famous Little Review, which gave chapters of Joyce's Ulysses their U.S. debut and thereby brought Anderson a conviction for publishing obscene literature. She wrote this fictionalized account of the early years of her romance with French actress and singer Georgette Leblanc in 1958. It consists of meetings and letters during a years-long cat-and-mouse game in which Audrey Leigh (Leblanc) puts off the fictionalized Margaret with claims of a religious devotion that keeps her from even mentioning, let alone acting on, lesbian love. Margaret's prizes for playing along are infrequent words of adoration circumspectly spoken. Some may find this a fascinating story of psychic seduction and obsession with the unattainable; others, a neurotic tease that makes them hope each woman would go find fulfillment elsewhere. Perhaps more interesting are Mathilda Hills' biographical introduction and her postscript about the quest, which involved interviewing Anderson's remaining friends and lovers, to find this very short novel for the sake of lesbian history and literature. Whitney Scott