A random collection of over 1910 books and audiobooks authored by or about my transgender, intersex sisters, and gender-nonconforming persons all over the world. I read some of them, and I was inspired by some of them. I met some of the authors and heroines, some of them are my best friends, and I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing some of them. If you know of any transgender biography that I have not covered yet, please let me know.
Original title: "La fille de Casablanca" (The Girl from Casablanca) by Juliette Jourdan.
"In 1956, in Casablanca, while Morocco struggles for its independence, Jenny, a young trans woman, solicits Dr. Georges Burou, a renowned, if somewhat enigmatic gynecologist, for a 'sex change'...
The Girl from Casablanca tells the true story of the first entirely successful sex reassignment surgery, at a time when the word 'trans' didn't even exist. It also tells a tale of daring and courage against all odds. True to himself, Dr. Burou went ahead with the first gender surgery to help a desperate and endearing young trans woman while risking ruining his career. Without knowing it, he would set the standard, to this day, for MtF surgery."
2017,
French,
Georges Burou,
Juliette Jourdan,
"Dilemma: Verandering van sekse" (Dilemma: Change of sex) is the Dutch language edition of "Conundrum" by Jan Morris.
I found this nice intro on Goodreads: "The great travel writer Jan Morris was born James Morris. James Morris distinguished himself in the British military, became a successful and physically daring reporter, climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and established a reputation as a historian of the British empire. He was happily married, with several children. To all appearances, he was not only a man, but a man’s man."
And here is an excerpt from a fantastic review from Transascity: "Conundrum is an autobiography, a tale about the life and transsexual journey of Jan Morris, noted British journalist and author. Born Humphrey Morris, Jan led an idyllic if somewhat lonely childhood, feeling since age 3 or 4 that she was born into the wrong body."
1975,
Dutch,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
Full title: "Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere" by Jan Morris.
"Jan Morris (then James) first visited Trieste as a soldier at the end of the Second World War. Since then, the city has come to represent her own life, with all its hopes, disillusionments, loves and memories. Here, her thoughts on a host of subjects - ships, cities, cats, sex, nationalism, Jewishness, civility and kindness - are inspired by the presence of Trieste, and recorded in or between the lines of this book.
Evoking the whole of its modern history, from its explosive growth to wealth and fame under the Habsburgs, through the years of Fascist rule to the miserable years of the Cold War, when rivalries among the great powers prevented its creation as a free city under United Nations auspices, Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere is neither a history nor a travel book; like the place, it is one of a kind."
2002,
English,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
UK,
Original title: "I am a woman now" by Daniëlle Serdijn and Michiel van Erp.
When gynecologist Georges Burou opens a practice in Casablanca in 1956 where men can undergo a sex change, his name quickly spreads around the world. The famous French Marie-Pierre Pruvot "Bambi", the Flemish Corinne Van Tongerloo, the flamboyant British April Ashley, the German Jean Lessenich, and the Dutch Colette Berends: they all undertook the journey to Casablanca and the illegal practice of Burou.
In the autumn of their lives, they look back. Do these pioneers feel completely female? Did their choice bring the expected satisfaction? After the sensational film by Michiel van Erp, this fantastic book is published.
2012,
April Ashley,
Bambi,
Corinne Van Tongerloo,
Daniëlle Serdijn,
Dutch,
Georges Burou,
Jean Lessenich,
Marie-Pier Ysser,
Marie-Pierre Pruvot,
Michiel van Erp,
Full title: "Roma erotica" (Erotic Rome) by Giò Stajano.
Giò Stajano, the most famous transgender woman in the history of Italy, shares her erotic encounters in the city of Rome at a time when she is still not certain about her true identity. She starts as a homosexual man, gradually discovering her feminine side.
According to Wikipedia, Countess Maria Gioacchina Stajano Starace Briganti di Panico, known simply as Giò Stajano (1931-2011), was an Italian nobleman, writer, journalist, actress, and transgender painter. In the 60s, before her mtf transition in 1983, she was the center of public attention as one of the first homosexual men publicly declared in Italy. She is remembered for a night swim in the Fontana della Barcaccia. She was said to have been inspired by Federico Fellini's scene of Anita Ekberg's bath in the Trevi Fountain in La dolce vita (1960).
1967,
Georges Burou,
Giò Stajano,
Italian,
Full title: "In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary" by Jan Morris.
"'I have never before in my life kept a diary of my thoughts, and here at the start of my ninth decade, having for the moment nothing much else to write, I am having a go at it. Good luck to me.'
So begins this extraordinary book, a collection of diary pieces that Jan Morris wrote for the Financial Times over the course of 2017.
A former soldier and journalist, and one of the great chroniclers of the world for over half a century, she writes here in her characteristically intimate voice - funny, perceptive, wise, touching, wicked, scabrous, and above all, kind - about her thoughts on the world, and her own place in it as she turns ninety. From cats to cars, travel to home, music to writing, it's a cornucopia of delights from a unique literary figure."
2019,
English,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
UK,
Full title: "Le gai cimetière" (The gay cemetery) by Marie-Pierre Pruvot. This is the fifth part of the 5-book series about Marie-Pierre Pruvot's life.
Le Gai Cimetière follows La Chanson du Bac. The story takes place while the Carrousel is permanently closed, the troupe dissolved, and the mysterious epidemic already has a name: AIDS. The trouble had already given way to anxiety, the hecatomb causes terror. It is through the ordeal of her friend Lola that Bambi travels through this period. The remaining members of the former troupe strengthen their bonds of friendship and try to fight back. Nothing prevents friends from disappearing in lamentable suffering and conditions. Yet, among so many misfortunes, the troupe never ceases to bathe in this usual humor essential to life, and until death...
2014,
Bambi,
French,
Georges Burou,
Marie-Pier Ysser,
Marie-Pierre Pruvot,
Full title: "Allegorizings" by Jan Morris.
"Soldier, journalist, historian, author of forty books, Jan Morris led an extraordinary life, witnessing such seminal moments as the first ascent of Everest, the Suez Canal Crisis, the Eichmann Trial, The Cuban Revolution and so much more. Now, in Allegorizings, published posthumously as was her wish, Morris looks back over some of the key moments of her life, and sees a multitude of meanings."
"From her final travels to the USA and across Europe to late journeys on her beloved trains and ships, from the deaths of her old friends Hilary and Tenzig to the enduring relationships in her own life, from reflections on identity and nations to the importance of good marmalade, it bears testimony to her uniquely kind and inquisitive take on the world."
2021,
English,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
UK,
Full title: "La chanson du bac" (The baccalaureate song) by Marie-Pierre Pruvot. This is the fourth part of the 5-book series about Marie-Pierre Pruvot's life.
Bambi continues her epic and goes through the upheavals that France is experiencing. May 68 was for her not only a political shock. Awareness pushes her to set other goals for the fulfillment of her life. While the Sorbonne is upside down, Bambi feels the oppressive urge to resume her abandoned studies. She undertakes a brief tour and, without forgetting her role at the Carrousel, she devotes her free time to studying.
Back in Paris, sentimental setbacks, health problems, disappointing experiences, everything seemed to stand in the way of her efforts. How will she achieve her ends? Marie-Pierre Pruvot offers a photograph of France at the end of a reign: the threat of devaluation of the franc, the announcement of a referendum, and sounds of General de Gaulle's fall. Powerless witness to the tumult of life, her character remains compartmentalized in the frivolity of the shows.
2014,
Bambi,
French,
Georges Burou,
Marie-Pier Ysser,
Marie-Pierre Pruvot,
"Kunō: aru seitenkansha no kokuhaku = Conundrum" (Agony: Confession of a Transsexual = Conundrum) is the Japanese language edition of "Conundrum" by Jan Morris.
I found this nice intro on Goodreads: "The great travel writer Jan Morris was born James Morris. James Morris distinguished himself in the British military, became a successful and physically daring reporter, climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and established a reputation as a historian of the British empire. He was happily married, with several children. To all appearances, he was not only a man, but a man’s man."
And here is an excerpt from a fantastic review from Transascity: "Conundrum is an autobiography, a tale about the life and transsexual journey of Jan Morris, noted British journalist and author. Born Humphrey Morris, Jan led an idyllic if somewhat lonely childhood, feeling since age 3 or 4 that she was born into the wrong body."
1976,
Georges Burou,
Jan Morris,
Japanese,
"La persistencia de la memoria: Una biografía personal de Salvador Dalí" is the Spanish language edition of "Persistence of Memory: A Personal Biography of Salvador Dali", an American re-edition of "Le Dalí d'Amanda" (Amanda's Dalí).
Amanda Lear (born 1939) is a French singer, television celebrity, actress, and model, known for her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s and being a muse of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. The book tells about her relationship with Salvador Dalí and presents detailed insights into the 15 years of their relationship.
According to Wikipedia, Amanda's transgender background was confirmed by Salvador Dalí himself, and other well-known artists that used to know Lear earlier in her life. For example, April Ashley, a transgender icon and model, claimed that in the 1950s and early 1960s, Lear, whose birth name she stated was "Alain Tap", had worked with her in the Parisian transgender revues Madame Arthur and Le Carrousel. In her book April Ashley's Odyssey, Ashley recalls Lear performing drag acts under the stage name "Peki d'Oslo".
1994,
Amanda Lear,
April Ashley,
Georges Burou,
Mexico,
Romy Haag,
Spanish,
"Reverse Sex" is the English language edition of "Elle est lui" (She is lui) by Mario A. Costa.
The book is a biography of Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy, also known by her stage name Coccinelle. She was a French actress, cabaret entertainer, and singer. She named herself Coccinelle (Ladybird), a tribute to a red dress with black polka dots that she often wore. She was born on August 23, 1931 in Paris, France and passed away on October 9, 2006 in Marseille, France.
She entered the French world of entertainment in 1953 at Madame Arthur and then at the Carrousel in Paris. This is when she met Bambi, another cabaret performer and legendary transgender icon. Coccinelle helped Bambi with her first performances and gave her shelter at her home.
1965,
Bambi,
Coccinelle,
English,
Georges Burou,
Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy,
Mario A. Costa,
"Avant que j'oublie; suivi de Regarde maman, je danse!" (Before I forget; followed by Look at mom, I dance!) is the French language edition of "Kijk mama, ik dans: 's lands bekendste transseksueel vertelt" (Look mom, I dance: The country's best-known transsexual tells).
"Vanessa van Durme has made choices in her life. Hard choices, painful choices. Choices that caused her parents a lot of grief.
Now she is a celebrated actress who feels her sixtieth birthday approaching. She has fond memories of her work for public and commercial broadcasting, of the comedy see the wrote, and of the wonderful role she played in All India by Alain Platel and Arne Sierens.
Her autobiography regularly brings tears to the eyes of the reader. Sometimes out of sympathy, more often out of laughter."
According to Wikipedia, Vanessa Van Durme (born in 1948) is a Belgian actress and screenwriter. She studied at the Conservatory of Ghent in the drama section and made her stage debut – as a young actor – at Nederlands Toneel Gent (NTG).
2014,
Belgium,
French,
Georges Burou,
Vanessa Van Durme,
Original title: "Mon Dalí" (My Dalí) is another edition of "Le Dalí d'Amanda" (Amanda's Dalí) published in 1984.
Amanda Lear (born 1939) is a French singer, television celebrity, actress, and model, known for her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s and being a muse of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. The book tells about her relationship with Salvador Dalí and presents detailed insights into the 15 years of their relationship.
According to Wikipedia, Amanda's transgender background was confirmed by Salvador Dalí himself, and other well-known artists that used to know Lear earlier in her life. For example, April Ashley, a transgender icon and model, claimed that in the 1950s and early 1960s, Lear, whose birth name she stated was "Alain Tap", had worked with her in the Parisian transgender revues Madame Arthur and Le Carrousel. In her book April Ashley's Odyssey, Ashley recalls Lear performing drag acts under the stage name "Peki d'Oslo".
2004,
Amanda Lear,
April Ashley,
French,
Georges Burou,
Romy Haag,
Full title: "Le Carrousel" by Marie-Pierre Pruvot. This is the third part of the 5-book series about Marie-Pierre Pruvot's life.
The Carrousel is the immediate follow-up to the novel Madame Arthur. Bambi makes his debut in the prestigious cabaret. Crowned with success, she remains insensitive to this shadow of prestige. Her interest, she brings it to the obsessive Coccinelle who becomes her friend, but especially her model. Always in search of her "self", will Bambi finally have the strength and courage to find and cultivate her personality?
Her love for Serge is put to the test: the Algerian war makes their relationship clandestine. Very quickly, Bambi is torn by a sentimental duality that will end with a crucial choice...
Through this novel, Marie-Pierre Pruvot pursues her quest for identity. Her loves, her friendships, but also her disillusionments continue to shape her life. The path to an extraordinary destiny then emerges. Through this novel, she continues to take the reader to this distant Paris, colorful and full of frivolities. The cabaret Le Carrousel and its artists come back to life in this story...
2013,
Bambi,
French,
Georges Burou,
Marie-Pier Ysser,
Marie-Pierre Pruvot,
"La mia vita con Dalí" (My life with Dalí) is the Italian language edition of "Le Dalí d'Amanda" (Amanda's Dalí) published in 1984.
Amanda Lear (born 1939) is a French singer, television celebrity, actress, and model, known for her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s and being a muse of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. The book tells about her relationship with Salvador Dalí and presents detailed insights into the 15 years of their relationship.
According to Wikipedia, Amanda's transgender background was confirmed by Salvador Dalí himself, and other well-known artists that used to know Lear earlier in her life. For example, April Ashley, a transgender icon and model, claimed that in the 1950s and early 1960s, Lear, whose birth name she stated was "Alain Tap", had worked with her in the Parisian transgender revues Madame Arthur and Le Carrousel. In her book April Ashley's Odyssey, Ashley recalls Lear performing drag acts under the stage name "Peki d'Oslo".
1987,
Amanda Lear,
April Ashley,
Georges Burou,
Italian,
Romy Haag,
"Conundrum: Mein Weg vom Mann zur Frau" (Conundrum: My journey from man to woman) is the 1993 German language edition of "Conundrum" by Jan Morris. In 2020, the book was republished with the following title: "Rätsel: Betrachtung einer Wandlung" (Riddle: consideration of a transformation).
I found this nice intro on Goodreads: "The great travel writer Jan Morris was born James Morris. James Morris distinguished himself in the British military, became a successful and physically daring reporter, climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and established a reputation as a historian of the British empire. He was happily married, with several children. To all appearances, he was not only a man, but a man’s man."
1993,
Georges Burou,
German,
Jan Morris,
Original title: "Délires" (Delusions) by Amanda Lear.
'An eclectic artist, Amanda Lear readily accepts the term jack-of-all-trades, but when asked to define herself in one word, she answers "star". A virtuoso of repartee and self-mockery, she was in turn the muse of Salvador Dalí, David Bowie's lover, disco diva, and queen of boulevard theatre.
Despite a shy and self-conscious childhood, her enthusiasm and curiosity allowed her to shape the funny, elegant and mysterious character that everyone knows. This is a sparkling anthology that brings together reflections and memories, under the sharp pen of a fine observer.'
Amanda Lear (born 1939) is a French singer, television celebrity, actress, and model, known for her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s and being a muse of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí.
2018,
Amanda Lear,
April Ashley,
French,
Georges Burou,
Romy Haag,
"El Dalí de Amanda" (Amanda's Dalí) is the Spanish language edition of "Le Dalí d'Amanda" (Amanda's Dalí).
Amanda Lear (born 1939) is a French singer, television celebrity, actress, and model, known for her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s and being a muse of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. The book tells about her relationship with Salvador Dalí and presents detailed insights into the 15 years of their relationship.
According to Wikipedia, Amanda's transgender background was confirmed by Salvador Dalí himself, and other well-known artists that used to know Lear earlier in her life. For example, April Ashley, a transgender icon and model, claimed that in the 1950s and early 1960s, Lear, whose birth name she stated was "Alain Tap", had worked with her in the Parisian transgender revues Madame Arthur and Le Carrousel. In her book April Ashley's Odyssey, Ashley recalls Lear performing drag acts under the stage name "Peki d'Oslo".
1985,
Amanda Lear,
April Ashley,
Georges Burou,
Romy Haag,
Spanish,
Original title: "La mia vita scandalosa" (My Scandalous Life).
"You are usually born only once. At least in the course of the same existence... I, on the other hand, was born twice." Thus Giò Stajano begins the story of her first exceptional sixty years, during which she passed from a life certainly not common to another almost unbelievable.
Gioacchino Starace, who was given the name of his paternal grandfather, was born in Sannicola, Puglia, in December 1931. On his mother's side, he is the nephew of Achille Starace, who has just been appointed secretary of the Fascist Party. Childhood is happy and privileged, adolescence is marked by war and the first signs of its "diversity".
1992,
Georges Burou,
Giò Stajano,
Italian,
