Romance in Marseille

Written in the 1930s but unpublished until 2020, Romance in Marseille is a radical, ahead-of-its-time novel exploring race, disability, class, and queer desire. It follows Lafala, a disabled West African sailor, as he returns to Marseille and navigates complex relationships, including with his former lover, a sex worker named Aslima. Bold and lyrical, the novel offers a vivid portrait of marginalized life in a bustling port city.

~ Included for its groundbreaking intersectional lens and candid depiction of queer and disabled lives. A vital recovery in queer and Black literary history. ~