The Book of Dolores
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| Author | William T. Vollman |
|---|---|
| Genre | Art |
| Publisher | powerHouse Books |
Publication date | 2013 |
The Book of Dolores is a book of photographs and paintings exploring femininity written by William T. Vollmann and published in 2013 by powerHouse Books. Vollmann began seriously cross-dressing in 2008 and developed a female alter ego named Dolores. "'Dolores is a relatively young woman trapped in this fat, aging male body,' Mr. Vollmann said. 'I’ve bought her a bunch of clothes, but she’s not grateful. She would like to get rid of me if she could.'"[1]
Vollmann is a heterosexual, married and a father. He describes the transformation as a vision quest to get into the mind of a female character he was writing, but also has mentioned liking the feel of women's clothes. His experimentation in cross-dressing started in the late 1980s, while living in San Francisco and writing Seven Dreams, about the settlement of North America. He was particularly interested in an Inuit myth about a brother transforming into a woman. Later he wrote about cross-dresser clubs in Japan. "'I had always imagined femininity as what you’re born with, what’s between your legs,' he said, 'And then I realized: no, it’s a performance. It’s about how you move, all the things you do to get ready.'"[2]