In this essay I use comparative method to study how a lesbian identity is created for the protagonists of two, often named autobiographical, novels. The novels are

Kärlek i Europa by Birgitta Stenberg and Tiger by Mian Lodalen. I also question how the identity creation is made, and if there is any difference in how the protagonists create a lesbian identity. I also wonder if the eventual differences may have a certain purpose for the protagonist or the plot.

I started examining if the two novels were actually autobiographies according to the definition of the genre set by Philippe Lejeune. I found that Stenberg’s novel passed the test whilst Lodalen’s novel had a few resemblances with autobiographical novels but to few to pass under Lejuenes definition.

I also considered the genre classification of the novels and found that

Kärlek i Europa is an autobiographical feministic bildungsroman whilst Tiger is a novel of development with autobiographical tendencies.

Using Bonnie Zimmermans criteria for lesbian literature I classify both novels as lesbian fiction, as they both pass her test.

As for the central question about the creation of a lesbian identity I found this to be true for both novels. The protagonist in both

Tiger and Kärlek i Europa create a lesbian identity in the novel. In both novels the lesbian identity is created as a form of resistance to the norms of society and the historical discourse of sexology. Guilt is a central theme in both novels and the identity formation helps the protagonists to overcome their guilt and develop as characters.

The creation of a lesbian identity is made when the protagonists interact with other people. During these interactions they try different ways of making sex/gender as an act. In the end, as I have mentioned, both create a lesbian identity but for different reasons and with different outcomes. In

Tiger the identity works as a salvation for the protagonist but in Kärlek i Europa the identity is a passage through which the protagonist must