Back Street is a romance novel written by Fannie Hurst in 1931, with underlying themes of death and adultery. The book's copyright was renewed in 1958 for an original 1930 registration and a subsequent 1931 registration, meaning that different editions of the book were published. Each will become public domain in 2026 and 2027 for 1930 and 1931, respectively.

Film Adaptations

It has been filmed five times since its publication: The 1932, 1941, and 1961 versions were released by Universal Pictures, and the third was in Technicolor. All the films—including those where the heroine dies at the end—romanticize the ending. In the book, she dies impoverished.