Lady Chatterley's Lover

Lady Chatterley's Lover, written in 1928, tells the story of a passionate love affair between an upper-class woman and her husband's gamekeeper, which was thought to be so shocking in its content and its straightforward use of explicit sexual terms, that it was not officially published until 1960. Its 1961 second edition contained this dedication from the publisher: "For having published this book, Penguin Books were prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act, 1959 at the Old Bailey in London from 20 October to 2 November 1960. This edition is therefore dedicated to the 12 jurors, three women and nine men, who returned a verdict of 'Not Guilty' and thus made D. H. Lawrence's last novel available for the first time to the public in the United Kingdom."

Now firmly established as a classic of English literature that was written well before its time, what saved it from being banned forever was its literary merit, upheld by some of the most distinguished writers and critics of the time. Lawrence's prescient musings on the changes in society and his authentic depiction of two unhappily married people, finding in this most unlikely and potentially doomed coupling the physical and emotional balance that they both crave, are as relevant today as they were then. Have a listen!

Public Domain (P)2005 Wordsworth Editions Limited