Grisélidis Réal
Encyclopedia
Grisélidis Réal was a writer
and prostitute from Geneva
, Switzerland
.
, in a family of teachers and spent her childhood in Alexandria
, and then in Athens
, where her father was working. Back to Switzerland, she studied art in Zürich
. She started working as a sex worker at the beginning of the sixties. She lived in Germany
, with her children (she had four) and her lover.
Réal stopped sex work in 1995, at the age of 66. She died of cancer in Geneva
in 2005. On March 9, 2009 she was exhumed and reburied in the Cemetery of the Kings
, the prestigious Geneva cemetery where Ernest Ansermet
, John Calvin
, Jorge Luis Borges
, Alberto Ginastera
, Frank Martin
, Jean Piaget
and Alice Rivaz
are buried.
During the seventies, Réal became an activist for sex worker
s, in particular, in 1973, with the occupation of the Chapelle Saint-Bernard, in Paris. Réal rejected the argument of the alienation by the pimps, and stated that prostitution could be a choice, a free-will decision. The revolutionary whore was born. She helped in the creation of a support association (Aspasie) for prostitutes. In her tiny home in Geneva, she created an international documentation center about prostitution.
In 1992, she published La Passe imaginaire (L'Aire/Manya, ISBN 2-87896-037-8), a compilation of letters sent to her friend Jean-Luc Hennig.
In parallel to her political fight, Réal developed a positive vision of what she called in January 2005, "an Art, a Humanism and a Science".
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and prostitute from Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Life and sex work
She was born in LausanneLausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, in a family of teachers and spent her childhood in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, and then in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, where her father was working. Back to Switzerland, she studied art in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. She started working as a sex worker at the beginning of the sixties. She lived in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, with her children (she had four) and her lover.
Réal stopped sex work in 1995, at the age of 66. She died of cancer in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in 2005. On March 9, 2009 she was exhumed and reburied in the Cemetery of the Kings
Cimetière des Rois
The Cimetière des Rois or Cimetière de Plainpalais, is a cemetery in Geneva, Switzerland, where John Calvin, the Protestant reformer, Jorge Luis Borges, the Argentine author, Sérgio Vieira de Mello, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Jean Piaget, the noted child psychologist are...
, the prestigious Geneva cemetery where Ernest Ansermet
Ernest Ansermet
Ernest Alexandre Ansermet was a Swiss conductor.- Biography :Ansermet was born in Vevey, Switzerland. Although he was a contemporary of Wilhelm Furtwängler and Otto Klemperer, Ansermet represents in most ways a very different tradition and approach from those two musicians. Originally he was a...
, John Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
, Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Evaristo Ginastera was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered one of the most important Latin American classical composers.- Biography :...
, Frank Martin
Frank Martin
Frank Martin may refer to:*Frank Martin , Swiss classical composer*Frank Martin , ice hockey player*Frank Martin , head men's basketball coach...
, Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....
and Alice Rivaz
Alice Rivaz
Alice Rivaz was a Swiss author and feminist.- Life :She was born Alice Golay in the small Swiss municipality of Rovray. She spent much of her life in Geneva and originally studied music training to be a pianist...
are buried.
Activism related to prostitution
In her first book, Le noir est une couleur (Black is a color - Balland, 1974, ISBN 2-7158-0005-3), she told her story in a blunt and honest way, with a dark lyrical tone she got from her own experience.During the seventies, Réal became an activist for sex worker
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
s, in particular, in 1973, with the occupation of the Chapelle Saint-Bernard, in Paris. Réal rejected the argument of the alienation by the pimps, and stated that prostitution could be a choice, a free-will decision. The revolutionary whore was born. She helped in the creation of a support association (Aspasie) for prostitutes. In her tiny home in Geneva, she created an international documentation center about prostitution.
In 1992, she published La Passe imaginaire (L'Aire/Manya, ISBN 2-87896-037-8), a compilation of letters sent to her friend Jean-Luc Hennig.
In parallel to her political fight, Réal developed a positive vision of what she called in January 2005, "an Art, a Humanism and a Science".
External links
- Aspasie web site
- Spanish documentary about her life
- Swiss uproar: Prostitute buried near John Calvin, Washington Post, March 9, 2009
- Griselidis Real, Virtuoso writer and 'revolutionary whore', The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
(UK), 7 June 2005