News

# £1 million project explores lasting impact of Radclyffe Hall’s radical novel

Researchers have embarked on a £1 million project to examine the lasting impact
of Radclyffe Hall’s radical novel The Well of Loneliness.

Published 11 April 2025

Published in 1928, the book follows the life of Stephen Gordon who falls in love
with another woman and eventually finds temporary happiness with a female
partner while serving as an ambulance driver during the First World War.

Sometimes known as 'the Lesbian Bible', it was banned as obscene in the UK. The
court judgment removed it from print in the UK until 1949, but did little to
stop it from being translated into multiple languages and read around the globe.

      

![A newspaper clipping featuring a picture of Radclyffe-Hall. She wears a masculine smoking jacket](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/Rad.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg)

A press cutting from the Sunday Express about the book. Catalogue reference: DPP
1/88.

Now a generous grant of more than £1m from the Arts and Humanities Research
Council will allow academics and archivists to analyse how the novel came to be
published and translated against this backdrop of legal censorship and social
hostility.

> The policing of gender and sexuality through censorship, conversely leaves us
> vital archival traces to explore our understanding of how this seminal text was
> received. The state response to The Well of Loneliness highlights the fears and
> opportunities the novel presented.

Victoria Iglikowski-Broad, Principal Records Specialist in Diverse Histories,
The National Archives.

This exciting five-year project is led by the University of Exeter along with
the Universities of York, Loughborough, Cardiff Metropolitan, The National
Archives, and the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas.

> The Well of Loneliness is one of the most contested books in LGBTQ+ history. It
> has served as a source of affirmation for generations, resonating with different
> LGBTQ+ readers, including trans and non-binary individuals

Jana Funke, Professor of Modern Literature and Sexuality Studies, Exeter
University.

The project team which also includes Dr Elizabeth English, Dr Sarah Parker and
Dr Hannah Roche, will interview 100 readers from different communities to record
their interpretations and enhance awareness of The Well of Loneliness through a
series of showcases, displays, workshops and events.

A film by award-winning filmmaker Campbell X and project website will help also
highlight the significance of the novel, bringing it to a wider audience.

## Help us improve this website

[Complete our short survey (opens in new tab)](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/DN07V0/?area=footer&source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalarchives.gov.uk%2Fmd%2Fnews%2F1-million-project-explores-lasting-impact-of-radclyffe-halls-radical-novel%2F)

---

[Back to top](#top)