LGBTQ+ Studies at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

Pierre Louÿs (1870–1925), born in Ghent, Belgium, was a French writer who specialized in works about lesbian love and classical literature. He was involved with the Parnassian and Symbolist movements of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and was close friends with Wilde. The Clark Library holds letters, manuscripts, and books written by Louÿs.

The Pierre Louÿs Collection (1889–1912) includes manuscripts and other documents written by Louÿs. Some highlights from the collection: 

• Quatrain on “Aphrodite.” Undated. MS.2010.001; Box 1, Folder 2. 
• “La femme machine: traduit de l’Italien.” Undated. MS.2010.001; Box 1, Folder 6. 
• Draft contracts for Le livre ancien. Ca. 1912. MS.2010.001; Box 1, Folder 12. 

Pierre Louÿs’ most acclaimed work is The Songs of Bilitis, a collection of poetry with lesbian themes. While Louÿs posits that the poetry was written in Ancient Greece by Bilitis, a contemporary of Sappho, he wrote all of the poems. The Clark Library also holds dozens of other books by Louÿs.

To find books written by Pierre Louÿs at the Clark Library go to UC Library Search. Select the “Author” field and type “Louÿs, Pierre, 1870–1925.” You can also do a keyword search either in the simple search or in the “Any field” field of the “Advanced Search.” Once you have search results, you can limit to the Clark Library by selecting it from the “UCLA Locations” facet.