20 of the most important LGBTQ novels everyone should read

Frank OlitoApr 23, 2020, 22:17 IST

Some of the best LGBTQ novels.Amazon

There are 20 LGBTQ novels that everyone should read.
Classic novels like Virginia Woolf's "Orlando," Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray," and James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room" are just a few examples.
Newer books like Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" and Hanya Yanagihara's "A Little Life" are also great.
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As film and TV slowly come around to telling LGBTQ stories, the world of literature has long been home to some of the best queer stories.

Books dating back to the 19th century have highlighted the LGBTQ experience and have been read by millions. Recent books like Andrew Sean Greer's "Less" and older novels like Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" have defined the LGBTQ genre.

From the newest books to the classics, here is every LGBTQ novel you should read.

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"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde — published in 1890 — is one of the oldest LGBTQ novels.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray." Amazon

Published in 1928, "Orlando" by Virginia Woolf has stood the test of time as a story about a person who transitions from male to female.

"Orlando." Amazon

In 1948, Gore Vidal published one of the first LGBTQ books to be printed by a major publishing house: "The City and the Pillar."

"The City and the Pillar." Amazon

The Oscar-nominated movie "Carol" is based on the 1952 novel "The Price of Salt" by Patricia Highsmith.

"The Price of Salt." Amazon

James Baldwin's 1956 novel, "Giovanni's Room," is a classic piece of gay literature.

"Giovanni's Room." Amazon

Tom Ford's film "A Single Man" was based on Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel of the same name.

"A Single Man." Amazon

E. M. Forster wrote "Maurice" in 1913, but it wasn't published until 1971.

"Maurice." Amazon

Larry Kramer's 1978 novel, "Faggots," tells the story of gay men in New York City just before the AIDS crisis.

"Faggots." Amazon

Armistead Maupin published his first "Tales of the City" book in 1978.

"Tales of the City." Amazon

"A Boy's Own Story" by Edmund White was published in 1982 and became known as a moving coming of age story.

"A Boy's Own Story." Amazon

"Stone Butch Blues" by Leslie Feinberg is a 1993 novel that follows a transgender man's journey to find himself.

"Stone Butch Blues." Amazon

Michael Cunningham's 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Hours" follows three women in separate time periods.

"The Hours." Amazon

"Edinburgh" by Alexander Chee was published in 2001 and tells the devastating story of sexual abuse.

"Edinburgh." Amazon

Jeffrey Eugenides published his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Middlesex" in 2002 about a transgender man's family.

"Middlesex." Amazon

Alison Bechdel's 2006's "Fun Home" is a graphic novel that inspired the Tony-winning Broadway show.

"Fun Home." Amazon

The Oscar-nominated "Call Me By Your Name" is based on André Aciman's 2007 novel of the same name.

"Call Me By Your Name." Amazon

Chinelo Okparanta's 2015 novel, "Under the Udala Trees," tells the story of two young girls who fall in love in Nigeria.

"Under the Udala Trees." Amazon

Hanya Yanagihara's epic 2015 novel, "A Little Life," tells the story of a group of friends as they grow up.

"A Little Life." Amazon

"Less" by Andrew Sean Greer tells the tale of a gay man's travels in this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from 2017.

"Less." Amazon

Although Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" was just published in 2019, it's already considered an LGBTQ masterpiece.

"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous." Amazon

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