Adam's Breed
Adam's Breed is a novel written by the English author Radclyffe Hall in 1926. Upon its publication, it was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction as well as the Femina Vie Heureuse prize recognizing the best English novel. The plot follows Gian-Luca, a British-Italian waiter and member of the Lost Generation, who becomes disenchanted with life during and following World War I and ultimately chooses a reclusive existence.
Plot
The storyline focuses on Teresa Boselli, a resilient woman, and her orphaned grandson Gian-Luca. In his youth, Gian-Luca works as a waiter in London before joining the Army Service Corps' catering section during World War I. Although he does not serve directly on the front lines, the horrors of war deeply affect him, leading to an aversion to food and a rejection of his previous lifestyle. He withdraws to live as a hermit in the forest and passes away at the age of 34.[1]
Writing and publication
Una Troubridge, Hall's partner, revealed that the novel was originally titled Food but was renamed to prevent confusion with a cookbook. The chosen title, Adam's Breed, is inspired by a line from Rudyard Kipling's poem "Tomlinson": "I am all o'er-sib to Adam's breed that ye should give me scorn".[2]
Released in March 1926 with significant promotional efforts, Adam's Breed quickly gained traction, achieving its fourth printing within just three weeks. The novel was published by Doubleday, Page in the United States and by Cassell in the United Kingdom.[3]
Critical reaction
A 1949 review in The Spectator described Hall's writing style as Victorian and highlighted thematic parallels among Adam's Breed, The Well of Loneliness, and The Unlit Lamp, particularly emphasizing issues related to "lack of the right kind of love in childhood".[4]
Academic Richard Dellamora characterizes this work as Hall's "first religious novel," drawing connections to James George Frazer's The Golden Bough through its exploration of sacrificial motifs. He interprets Gian-Luca’s demise as symbolic religious imagery, casting him partially as a Christ-like figure whose name references disciples John and Luke.[1]