Gale Wilhelm
Encyclopedia
Gale Wilhelm was an American writer most noted for two books that featured lesbian
themes written in the 1930s: We Too Are Drifting and Torchlight to Valhalla
.
of Ethel Gale Brewer and Wilson Price Wilhelm in 1908. She was the youngest of five children, educated in Oregon, Idaho
, and Washington. The family moved to San Francisco, California
when Wilhelm was a teenager.
, to many favorable reviews.
In 1938, Random House published Torchlight to Valhalla, another lesbian-themed novel in which the protagonist, a young woman, is pursued by a very handsome and charming young man, but realizes her true happiness is with another young woman.
Wilhelm wrote three more novels, Bring Home the Bride in 1940, The Time Between in 1942 and Never Let Me Go in 1945, all with heterosexual themes. Never Let Me Go included praise from Wilhelm's friend Carl Sandburg
on the book jacket.
Wilhelm also published stories in Colliers
and Yale Review
in the early 1940s, but didn't publish anything new after 1943. However, both Wilhelm's lesbian themed books were reprinted many times in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Torchlight to Valhalla was given a new name, The Strange Path, with a rather salacious cover in 1953.
In 1975, Torchlight to Valhalla was reprinted by Arno Press's library edition of Homosexuality: Lesbians and Gay Men in Society, History and Literature.
spent several years attempting to locate Wilhelm. The 1984 Naiad Press
edition of We Too Are Drifting included a foreword by Grier describing Wilhelm's life and pleading for any assistance from anyone who knew any information on the whereabouts of Wilhelm. By the time Naiad published Torchlight to Valhalla in 1985, it contained a foreword by Wilhelm herself, information given to Grier by an anonymous source. Grier speculated that Wilhelm stopped writing before she turned 40 years old because "the world would not let her write the books she wanted."
She lived with Kathleen Huebner from 1953 until Wilhelm's death in 1991 of cancer.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
themes written in the 1930s: We Too Are Drifting and Torchlight to Valhalla
Torchlight to Valhalla
Torchlight to Valhalla is a lesbian-themed novel published by Random House in 1938, written by Gale Wilhelm. The novel is considered a classic in lesbian fiction, being one of the few hardbound novels with lesbian content to be published in the early 20th century. Quite rare for lesbian fiction in...
.
Early life
Wilhelm was born in Eugene, OregonEugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
of Ethel Gale Brewer and Wilson Price Wilhelm in 1908. She was the youngest of five children, educated in Oregon, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and Washington. The family moved to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
when Wilhelm was a teenager.
Writing career
Wilhelm published several short stories in 1934 and 1935, her first appearing in Literary America. With the assistance of a literary agent, Wilhelm published We Too Are Drifting in 1935 by Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, to many favorable reviews.
In 1938, Random House published Torchlight to Valhalla, another lesbian-themed novel in which the protagonist, a young woman, is pursued by a very handsome and charming young man, but realizes her true happiness is with another young woman.
Wilhelm wrote three more novels, Bring Home the Bride in 1940, The Time Between in 1942 and Never Let Me Go in 1945, all with heterosexual themes. Never Let Me Go included praise from Wilhelm's friend Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
on the book jacket.
Wilhelm also published stories in Colliers
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
and Yale Review
Yale Review
The Yale Review is the self-proclaimed oldest literary quarterly in the United States. It is published by Yale University.It was founded originally in 1819 as The Christian Spectator. At its origin it was published to support Evangelicalism, but over time began to publish more on history and...
in the early 1940s, but didn't publish anything new after 1943. However, both Wilhelm's lesbian themed books were reprinted many times in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Torchlight to Valhalla was given a new name, The Strange Path, with a rather salacious cover in 1953.
In 1975, Torchlight to Valhalla was reprinted by Arno Press's library edition of Homosexuality: Lesbians and Gay Men in Society, History and Literature.
Personal life
Wilhelm lived with Helen Hope Rudolph Page in San Francisco from 1938 until Page's death in the late 1940s. Barbara GrierBarbara Grier
Barbara Grier was an American writer and publisher most widely known for co-founding Naiad Press and writing and editing The Ladder under the pseudonym Gene Damon.-Early life:...
spent several years attempting to locate Wilhelm. The 1984 Naiad Press
Naiad press
Naiad Press was one of the first publishing companies dedicated to lesbian literature. At its closing it was the oldest and largest lesbian/feminist publisher in the world.-History:...
edition of We Too Are Drifting included a foreword by Grier describing Wilhelm's life and pleading for any assistance from anyone who knew any information on the whereabouts of Wilhelm. By the time Naiad published Torchlight to Valhalla in 1985, it contained a foreword by Wilhelm herself, information given to Grier by an anonymous source. Grier speculated that Wilhelm stopped writing before she turned 40 years old because "the world would not let her write the books she wanted."
She lived with Kathleen Huebner from 1953 until Wilhelm's death in 1991 of cancer.
Published works
- We Too Are Drifting, 1934
- No Letter for the Dead, 1936
- Torchlight to Valhalla, 1938 (also published in the 1950s as The Strange Path)
- Bring Home the Bride, 1940
- The Time Between, 1942
- Never Let Me Go, 1945
External links
- Guide to the Gale Wilhelm Papers at The Bancroft Library