new + classic short novels by LGBTQ authors

Queer authors have been formative in the world of books for generations, delivering a wide range of stories, voices and ideas. There is no one gay agenda here... Here's our short list of short novels by LGBTQ authors.

Keep in mind, as a historical list, there are lots of missing names – simply because many notable authors never wrote short novels. And like all the lists here, it's a work in progress, evolving as we go.

This short list also combines classic titles with more recent releases from overlooked queer authors. Here's a few stand-outs:

• Justine by Forsyth Harmon. A 2021 debut novel that's both short and illustrated, "an intimate and unflinching portrait of American girlhood at the edge of adulthood."
• Captain Ni'mat's Last Battle by Mohamed Leftah. From the late Moroccan novelist, this short novel explores the late-in-life sexual awakening of a retired air force pilot who begins a dangerous affair with a male servant.
• A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. First published in 1964, Isherwood's portrait of a gay English professor in Southern California shocked many readers in its time. Isherwood also claimed it's his favorite of his own novels.

This list is just scratching the surface. We're starting with just a dozen, embracing old and new. Here's the Shortish list of short novels by queer authors.

The Shortish Project is an evolving database of new and classic short novels from publishers big and small. Find the latest. Discover hidden gems. Search by author, book title or ISBN here.

Or lean in and do a random scroll through the full Shortish database (600 titles or so)!