Grisélidis Réal: The Revolutionary Courtesan's Letters Reissued

Grisélidis Réal, the Swiss writer and prostitute who scandalized 1970s France by proudly embracing her profession, is the subject of a new publication. Verticales has reissued Jean-Luc Hennig's 1981 interview "Grisélidis, courtisane" alongside "Mémoires de l'inachevé (1954-1993)", a collection of her letters edited by Yves Pagès. Réal, who died in 2005, gained notoriety with works like "Le Noir est une couleur" (1974) and "La Passe imaginaire". Her letters, found in her Geneva apartment, reveal the same dark intensity as her autobiographies. A self-described "catin révolutionnaire", she supported prostitutes' rights in Lyon and Paris in 1975. Her writings explore themes of love, masochism, and freedom, contrasting her brutal relationships with clients and her violent affairs, notably with Ahmed Hassine. In 2009, her body was transferred to Geneva's Cimetière des Rois, alongside Calvin and Borges.