Ilex snaps up Bishopsgate archivists' history of queer love letters

Ilex Press has signed a deal for The Love That Dares: Letters of LGBTQ+ Love & Friendship, collected by Bishopsgate Institute archivists Rachel Smith and Barbara Vesey. 

Ellie Corbett, commissioning editor at the Octopus imprint, acquired world rights in all languages from the authors directly. It will be published on January 27th 2022 in hardback. 

“The Love That Dares collects together the poignant, romantic, often funny and always moving letters that document the history of queer love and friendship through the years,” the blurb reads. “A good love letter can speak across centuries and reassure us that the agony and the ecstasy one might feel in the 21st century have been shared by lovers long gone. This is all the truer of LGBTQ+ love letters: love affairs and relationships that, until very recently, had to survive within sealed envelopes and behind closed doors.” 

Alongside the more famous names, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, John Cage and Audre Lorde, the book also includes letters by lesser-known lovers. Illet said: "These letters give us a glimpse into the passion and courage it took to continue a gay relationship in times when it was at best improper, and at worst illegal. Enlightening introductions to each set of letters give readers an idea of the historical context in which they were written." 

Corbett commented: “So many of the letters in this collection have really stuck with me, and moved me, and I can’t wait for readers in turn to discover the letters that speak to them. It has been a joy to work with Barbara and Rachel on this compilation, and I’m very proud to be publishing the book with them in January.” 

Smith and Vesey added: “It’s been an honour gathering these letters together; we’ve learned so much and are so happy to be sharing them with the world.”