Just the other day, I fell into a Wiki rabbit hole about prostitution/sex work. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations regarding fiction books about the subject, ideally pre-20th century? Thank you!
Highly recommend *Woman at Point Zero* by Nawal El Saadawi. It’s a short but searing novel based on the real story of a woman on death row in Egypt. The protagonist, Firdaus, tells her life story, including her experiences with child marriage, sexual violence, and sex work with brutal honesty and zero sugar-coating.
It was written in the 1970s but feels timeless and deeply relevant. Not pre-20th century, but it absolutely fits the theme and is one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read on the subject.
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79 Park Avenue
Nana by Emile Zola (1880- France)
Highly recommend *Woman at Point Zero* by Nawal El Saadawi. It’s a short but searing novel based on the real story of a woman on death row in Egypt. The protagonist, Firdaus, tells her life story, including her experiences with child marriage, sexual violence, and sex work with brutal honesty and zero sugar-coating.
It was written in the 1970s but feels timeless and deeply relevant. Not pre-20th century, but it absolutely fits the theme and is one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read on the subject.