Red House Alley is the first complete English translation of Else Jerusalem's revolutionary novel about sex workers in 19th century Vienna. Jerusalem ripped away the veil of moral hypocrisy that viewed prostitutes as predators who lured men into their clutches and showed the women as victims exploited by pimps, madams, and the police.
When Red House Alley first appeared (as Der heilige Skarabäus, The Sacred Scarab) in 1909, it sent shock waves through Viennese society. For the first time, girls and women caught up in the sex trade were portrayed as human beings, not predators or mindless victims. The book became a bestseller and was considered one of the most important German novels of the early 20th century. Banned as decadent by the Nazis, it was forgotten for over 75 years.
Red House Alley is the first complete and uncensored English translation of this landmark work. It reveals how the brothel system operated, how girls and women were procured and destroyed, and how citizens, the police, and the legal system fostered a trade that public morals condemned. Yet Else Jerusalem refuses to accept degradation as the only fate
for the women of Red House, and in Milada, she creates an empowered woman who finds an escape for herself and others.
