Marijanne Meaker, author of the very popular 1952 Lesbian pulp novel Spring Fire, died on November 21, 2022.
Marijane wrote under multiple names, including M.E. Kerr, Vin Packer and under the lesbian persona, Ann Aldrich.
As M.E. Kerr she wrote YA fictional novels and was considered as a trailblazer in true-to-life fiction. Marijane was presented with the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1993 by the Young Adult Library Services Association for her YA works.
As Ann Aldrich, she wrote groundbreaking nonfiction books that chronicled lesbian life in Greenwich Village and beyond.
We Walk Alone (1955) is an authentic “cultural artifact” of the lesbian community on the cusp of change.
We, Too, Must Love (1958) is a supplement to We Walk Alone, addressing questions generated by her previous work.
Carol in a Thousand Cities (1960) is an anthology of top thinkers on the subjects of lesbians and lesbianism.
We Two Won’t Last (1963) is another comprehensive and candid book on the twilight woman (aka lesbians).
Take a Lesbian to Lunch (1971) is a study bringing the New York lesbian world into sharp focus.
As Meaker, she wrote Shockproof Sydney Skate (1972), whose main character has a Lesbian mother. Her books under her own name included Highsmith: A Romance of the 1950s (2003), about her two-year relationship with the author Patricia Highsmith.
Under the name Vin Packer, which she later used for a series of suspense novels, Marijane wrote Spring Fire. The 1952 book was about a college kid who falls in love with one of her sorority sisters. The novel appealed to a significant number of women in the early 1950s who did not see themselves in fiction.
Marijane’s book founded a new genre, lesbian pulp fiction. Over the next 15 years, Lesbian pulp fiction was a huge success. Regardless of gender, there are fans all over the world.
Spring Fire was the first time in history to put same-sex romance on the conversation track. The book’s unfortunate ending had to pass U.S. Postal Service censorship. They decided that if it had a happy ending, it would be censoring.
Marijane Meaker died of cardiopulmonary arrest on November 21, 2022 at her home in East Hampton, N.Y. She was 95.
