Place Renée Vivien

This location is a small area with benches that commemorates Renée Vivien's life, but doesn't appear to mention any details about her work or personal life. It is easy to miss, in large contrast to the space Renée Vivien occupies in lesbian history, especially the importance of her translations of Sappho's poetry. Renée Vivien is remembered in France for her command of the French language as an expatriate, especially the techniques she used in writing her poetry, even if those who remember her objected to her lifestyle or of the subject matter of her poetry. Information about the life Vivien lived could be censored, in exchange for a greater focus on her great skill in writing poetry. This historical censorship was combated against in the latter part of the 20th century, particularly in the United States. In the 1970s and 1980s in the U.S., lesbian feminists had a renewed interest in finding historical lesbians, and many lesbian feminist presses took interest in Renée Vivien's openly sapphic works. In a 1976 edition of "Lavender Woman," translator Margaret Porter (who published her work under the pen name Gabrielle L'Autre) mentions that she's translated over 100 of Vivien's poems since the 1960s and was originally introduced to Vivien's work while visiting France, finding that through the dead poet she could discuss lesbian themes without it being considered out of the ordinary.

Text Source:

Lornita Watkins, Renee Vivien, Gabrielle, Margaret A. Porter, J.R. Roberts, Inara Cedrins, Cynthia Carr, et al. “Lavender Woman.” Lavender Woman 5, no. 1 (July 1, 1976): 1–21. https://jstor.org/stable/community.28039127.

Image Sources:

1976 Edition of Lavender Woman. Lavender Woman 5, no. 1 (July 1, 1976): 1–21. https://jstor.org/stable/community.28039127.

Place Renée Vivien. Français : La Place Renée Vivien à Paris, Vue de l’angle Des Rues Du Temple et Des Haudriettes. September 19, 2010. Own work. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_place_renee_vivien.jpg.