Whether these works are  classics of queer literature, or novels that were recently published, and  whether we read stories about coming out, falling in love, or surviving  bigotry, at the queer book club there is always space for thoughtfuldiscussions and sharing personal experiences.

Are you looking for a queer space in which  you can be yourself and share   experiences and stories with others? Are you  looking for a place where you can discuss queer literature? Then the queer book club is the place for you.

This Book club will be hosted by  Looi van Kessel, assistant professor in literary studies  and gender studies at Leiden University, who specializes in LGBTQIA+   literature. The sessions will be held in English.

This meeting we will read...

Yukio Mishima’s Confessions of a Mask (1949)

In this queer  classic, Yukio Mishima dramatizes his own youth as a gay adolescent who grows  up in a Japan that is on the brink of entering the Second World War. While  right-wing militarism is on the rise, Kochan is struggling with his  homosexuality and trying to fit into society. As Kochan becomes obsessed with  queer European imagery, such as paintings of Saint Sebastian and Joan of Arc,  he tries to cover up his desire for other men by dating a girl named Sonoko. The result is what Mishima describes as a “reluctant mascquerade”.