Illustrated Talk | The Very Queer Life of "The Italian Invert"
LOCATION
GLBT Historical Society Museum, 4127 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94114
ADMISSION
$10 admission; Free for members
In 1889, a 23 year old queer Italian wrote to celebrated French novelist Émile Zola about his desires, his loves and his hesitations regarding his gender identity. The young man bares his soul and hopes the novelist will create a character in his image.
Zola instead passed the autobiography along to a medical doctor, who published parts of the text. The beautifully written coming-of-age tale is a rare first-person testimony documenting how queer men cruised in an era before apps, reveals what they did once they “matched” and demonstrates that love between men indeed existed at that time.
Antwerp-based historian Michael Rosenfeld's new book offers a translation of the unexpurgated original autobiography and a historical discussion of its sources and context: The Italian Invert: A Gay Man's Intimate Confession to Emile Zola (Columbia University Press).
Join us at the GLBT Historical Society Museum on Thursday, January 16, 2025, for a look into the life of the "Italian invert," Rosenfeld's archival research and the enduring significance of 19th-century queer life and culture. Rosenfeld will offer an overview of the book and will take part in a conversation with historian Gerard Koskovich.
Copies of The Italian Invert: A Gay Man’s Intimate Confession to Emile Zola will be available for purchase and author signing at the event.
This event is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco and the Department of Modern Language & Literatures at San Francisco State University.
SPEAKERS
Michael Rosenfeld (he/him) is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Flanders Research Foundation in Belgium and works on collaborations between queer intellectuals in France, Belgium and the Netherlands between 1885 and 1910. The Italian Invert: A Gay Man’s Intimate Confessions to Émile Zola, published by Columbia University Press in 2022 is a translation from the French book (2017); it has also been translated into Spanish (2023). Michael Rosenfeld has published many articles in academic journals on Francophone literature and on queer history.
MODERATOR: Gerard Koskovich (he/him) is a public historian and rare book dealer who divides his time between San Francisco and Paris. He contributes frequently to popular and scholarly media, has presented and published widely in English and French, and has curated numerous exhibitions on LGBTQ history. He is a founding member of the GLBT Historical Society.
Location
GLBT Historical Society Museum, 4127 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94114
Admission
Admission is free for members and $10 for non-members. This event will likely sell out, so guests are encouraged to reserve their tickets early. Tickets are available here.
Join the GLBT Historical Society
Become a member of the GLBT Historical Society for free museum and program admission, discounts in the museum shop and other perks throughout the year.
