Later in life , Genet wrote novels , plays , poems , and essays , including Querelle , The Thief 's Journal , Our Lady of the Flowers , The Balcony , The Blacks and The Maids . His major works include the novels Querelle of Brest , The Thief 's Journal , and Our Lady of the Flowers , and the plays The Balcony , The Blacks , The Maids and The Screens .