‘Hugely enjoyable’ account of gay women who helped change the course of their culture wins £2,000 prize for LGBTQ+ books
No Modernism Without Lesbians by Diana Souhami has won the 2021 Polari prize for LGBTQ+ books. The account of a group of gay women who helped to begin the modernist movement was called “richly researched, entertaining and hugely enjoyable” by judge and CEO of the National Centre for Writing, Chris Gribble. It offers “insight into the lives, passions and legacies of a group of outstanding women who together helped change the course of their culture”, he added. “Souhami is a brilliant guide and this book a celebration, corrective and fillip all in one.”
Souhami, who has been awarded the £2,000 prize in a ceremony at London’s Southbank Centre, has previously written biographies of prominent queer creatives Radclyffe Hall and Gluck, as well as a book about Gertrude Stein’s relationship with Alice B Toklas. Stein also features in No Modernism Without Lesbians, presented alongside Sylvia Beach, Bryher and Natalie Barney as a trailblazer of the 20th century’s emerging art form.
