Great literary works on prostitution

In the past, women who earned their livelihood by selling sex were not just a taboo subject, but an enticingly fascinating object for writers. They were mysterious, voluptuous, and even boisterous, that summed up every quality needed to be an artist's muse. Over the years, poets and authors have been trying to sensitize fellow humans to the helplessness and sufferings of the modern hooker, who have stumbled upon the profession either by deceit or under dire indigence. Here is a list of some of the greatest works of literature, old and new, that talk about the wretchedness of prostitution.
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The book might have been a failure during its publication in 1892, but as time progressed, it is considered to be one very important piece of literature that depicts a real situation. Maggie, who, in her short life, "blossomed in a mud puddle", was driven to prostitution, and died by her own hand while still a teenager.
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In Shaw’s own words, this magnificent piece of literature was written “to draw attention to the truth that prostitution is caused, not by female depravity and male licentiousness, but simply by underpaying, undervaluing and overworking women so shamefully that the poorest of them are forced to resort to prostitution to keep body and soul together.”
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This brilliant runway bestseller presents the true confessions of Japan’s most celebrated geisha in its most lyrical authenticity. This historical novel tells the story of Chiyo Sakamoto and her sister who were sold to a geisha district during World War II, “where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion.”
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Maria hails from a Brazilian village whose first heartbreak convinces her that she will never be able to find true love. A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune but fate leads her into prostitution, which she comes to accept as the way of life. During one of her walks down a street, she feels a sexual awakening that takes her on a quest for physical pleasure, leading her into interesting situations, where she tries to find her own body and desires.
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Johnnie Wise was only 15 when her mother sold her virginity to a white insurance man. The novel tells the story of 1950’s New Orleans, a world of betrayal, envy, lust, and murder, where buxom young girls are pursued by a ruthless crime boss, who will stop at nothing to have the youthful and tender bodies ripped.
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The novel offers an insight into the sex industry in today’s UK, along with the shocking truth that an increasing number of women are turning to prostitution to make ends meet. This is the story of Dawn Annandale, who is smart and well educated, but when her marriage falls apart, she had to face an insurmountable pile of debts on her own. Looking desperately for a way to make money fast, she decides to become an escort.
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Written with the brilliant fervour that Marquez projects, the book is an exploration into a man’s memories about his sexual adventures with prostitutes. On his ninetieth birthday, a newspaper columnist decides to treat himself to “a night of mad love with a virgin adolescent”. But seeing the girl he falls deeply under her spell. His love for his “Delgadina” causes him to recall all the women he has paid to perform acts of love.
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Banned for its "obscene" content, this fictional account of a young woman's unconventional route to middle-class respectability is an interesting comic tour through the brothels of Augustan England, with a female protagonist whose predicaments never lessen her humanity or her determination to find real love and happiness.
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Defoe's last and darkest novel is the story of a woman who has sold her virtue, at first for survival, and then for fame and fortune. Its narrator tells the story of her own “wicked” life as the mistress of rich and powerful men.
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13-year-old Lakshmi, though destitute, is content with the simple pleasures of life. But when the harsh monsoons wash the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather urges her to get a job in the big city to support the family. She is introduced to a stranger who takes her to something she believed to be the “Happiness House”. But she soon learns that she has been sold into prostitution.
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