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: "Russkie travesti v istorii, kulʹture i povsednevnosti" - Русские травести в истории, культуре и повседневности - (Russian travesties in history, culture and everyday life) by Olga Khoroshilova Ольга Хорошилова.
An illustrated history of Russian travesty culture in its various aspects: from frivolous court carnivals to female military formations of the First World War and difficult stories of people whose biological sex did not coincide with the psychological one.
From the male actor who played the role of Joan of Arc for the first time in history and the Russian uncle Max to Anna Lister's trip to Russia and the unusual wardrobe of Elizabeth Petrovna.
The author of "Fashion and Geniuses" Olga Khoroshilova gives examples from all spheres of culture — art, fashion, literature, theater, cinema and photography — showing how diverse, powerful and alive the Russian travesty culture was, which had its own history, traditions and talented stars, and how for three centuries (from the 18th to the first half of the 20th century) transvestism existed in all spheres of life. The book contains many illustrations, including rare and previously unpublished ones.
2021,
Ol'ga Khoroshilova,
Russian,
Original title: "Transgendery. Chestno. Istorii ot plasticheskogo khirurga" (Transgenders. Truth. Stories from a plastic surgeon) by Anastasija Borisenko.
The book tells what you always wanted to know about transpersons, but did not dare to ask, and also dispels misconceptions about this topic. Anastasia Borisenko, an authoritative plastic surgeon who helps people with an unusual fate, has taken a responsible step.
In your hands, here is an important and positive book in which a professional without categorical assessments writes about the life of transpersons, destroys myths, explains the subtlety of the transition and talks about the possibilities of modern plastic surgery. pain, but still found the strength to go through this difficult path to the end.
2022,
Anastasija Borisenko,
Russian,
Original title: "My zdes'. Sbornik trans*istoriy" Мы здесь. Сборник транс*историй (We're here. Collection of trans* stories) by LGBT initiative group "Coming Out".
The collection includes texts of Russian-speaking transgender people and their relatives about various aspects related to gender, transgenderism, transgender transition – and not only. In addition, inside you can find pictures, comics, and poems written by trans* people.
One of the most important tasks of the collection is to present - both to the trans* community itself and to the wider world - a diverse experience of trans* people with all the differences in their perception of the world, personal stories and vision of the phenomenon of transgenderism itself. Some of the texts are essays written by trans* activists, and some of them are stories about personal experiences, excerpts from diaries, memories of childhood, and thoughts about creativity, sexuality, rejection, acceptance, loneliness, and about community.
2017,
LGBT initiative group "Coming Out",
Russian,
"Сальто ангела" is the Russian language edition of "Le Saut de l'ange" (The Leap of the Angel) by Maud Marin.
'Is it possible to imagine the life of a man who hates his sex? 'The book is a terrifying diary of a person whose stigma of otherness casts a shadow over her whole life. The family does not "see" the problem. They stubbornly claim that Maud is a male person, despite the fact that she is more and more boldly declaring her femininity. Such behavior leads Maud to descend into the darkness of nightlife on the street - sex work and the criminal underworld.
After many years of humiliation, Maud manages to change gender. But this is only the beginning of the battle for a dignified life. After all, you have to change your birth certificate, get a job, arrange your life like a normal woman. Will she succeed?'
1995,
Maud Marin,
Russian,
Original title: "Транссексуалка" (Transsexual Woman) by Alena Mayskaya (Алена Майская).
'I was actually born a boy, but the story of my change began long before I was born. On the ultrasound, the doctor, looking carefully at the screen, with full responsibility declared: "You will have a girl." And I, sitting inside my mother, shamefully covered my masculinity with my leg being full of shyness.'
'Without the slightest embarrassment, with the smallest intimate details, the heroine of this frank, soul-tearing book tells about her life. Lonely and happy. Dangerous and magical. Desperate and hopeful. Contradictory, like Elena herself, who is listed as Alexei on her passport. Like her relationship with her mother, with loved ones, rapists, friends, and colleagues. With myself. In peace. With all of us.'
'Let me be called a 'mistake of nature' and let me sometimes hear angry screams behind my back, let me not be hired, because according to my passport I am a man. I'm still happy. Because I am me! I'M DIFFERENT!'
2008,
Alena Mayskaya,
Russian,
"Dalí глазами Аманды" (Dalí through the eyes of Amanda) is the Russian 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".
2005,
Amanda Lear,
April Ashley,
Georges Burou,
Romy Haag,
Russian,
Original title: "Transgender's diary: Дневники Трансгендера" by Polina Zverev.
A tender and poetic book about the love of a Russian artist living in France. Problems with self-perception haunt him in tolerant France. The novel is autobiographical, with illustrations provided by the author herself.
Polina Zverev is a French-Russian artist who specializes in figurative, abstract, and surrealistic painting. Prose for the author is an additional means of self-expression in the visual arts.
2014,
Polina Zverev,
Russian,
