Cady Wells and Southwestern Modernism edited by Lois P. Rudnick

Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press, 2009

The Museum of New Mexico Press released Cady Wells and Southwestern Modernism edited by Lois P. Rudnick on October 15, 2009. From the editor: 

H. Cady Wells (1904-1954) was the child of Yankee scions who built the American Optical Company in Southbridge, MA, and who went on to found “Old Sturbridge Village” as an Anglo-Saxon preserve of American colonial history. He “ran away from home” in the early 1930s, and settled in New Mexico (1932-1954), where he became part of the thriving gay (and straight) community of writers, artists, and patrons of the arts. Wells developed both a regional and national reputation for his darkly moody and technically brilliant semi-abstract watercolors, which responded to northern New Mexico’s physical and cultural landscapes in ways that set him apart from most of his New Mexican modernist peers.  After his return from the European theatre in World War II, he was exposed to the continuing weapons project at Los Alamos, 12 miles from his home in the Pojaoque Valley, which profoundly influenced his painting.  Wells met Fritz Peters in December 1951, and he spent the summer of 1952 with Fritz in France.  They remained lovers until March 1953, although their friendship continued until Cady’s death on November 5, 1954.  In December 1951, Cady wrote to a close friend about meeting Fritz:  “He is a writer named Fritz Peters.  His first novel, ‘The World Next Door,’ is one of the most moving of all of the books to come out of the war. His last one [Finistère] is the most sensitive book on homosexuality I have ever read.  We enjoy each other’s company and are congenial in every way.”

A Cady Wells (1904-1954) retrospective guest curated by Ms. Rudnick entitled Under the Skin of New Mexico: The Art of Cady Wells 1933-1953 was shown at The University of New Mexico Art Museum in January 2011. Cady Wells and Southwestern Modernism serves as the catalogue for this exhibition of 29 paintings. For more information on Cady Wells see Lois Rudnick's entry on Cady Wells entry in the glbtq ARCHIVE.

This post originally appeared in slightly different form on FritzPeters.info, October 7, 2009.

Hello Emily by Fritz Peters

New York : Harper's Bazaar, August 1950

Hello Emily is the only published short story by Fritz Peters. The piece was purchased by Harper's Bazaar in early 1949 and it appeared in the August 1950 issue of the magazine. Fritz married Mary Louise Aswell, the fiction editor for Harper's Bazaar, in June of that same year. They likely met while Fritz was working as assistant to Louise Dahl Wolfe, a well known fashion photographer of the time who did extensive work for Harper's Bazaar. 

Hello Emily is the story of an older woman living in New York City who experiences a series of events that become linked in her mind; but are they really simple coincidence? A troubling experience on the subway, the fear of being followed and telephone harassment are all part of the narrative. In a city of 8 million people, there is no safe haven … at least not in her own mind.

This post originally appeared in slightly different form  on FritzPeters.info, March 8, 2008. 

The Grotto by Grace Zaring Stone

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1951

The dust jacket declares Ms. Stone "...the first novelist who has dared to write frankly about a tragic problem--the struggle of a mother to save her son from becoming a homosexual."

Written with a decidedly Freudian bent, this is the story of a widow, Celia Thorne and her teenage son Evan. While traveling in Italy they become stranded due to striking ship staff. When she is offered the chance to stay with an old friend, Wilfred Foliot at a villa on the coast of Italy, she happily accepts. While waiting for the strike to be resolved she is forced to come to terms with Evan growing up and his possible homosexuality.

Grace Zaring Stone is most well known for her 1939 novel Escape. She used the pseudonym Ethel Vance to avoid jeopardizing her daughter who was living in occupied Europe during World War II.

Bibliographies & Ratings: Cory (IV); Garde (Primary, **); Mattachine Review (IV); Young (3663, *)

FritzPeters.info August 2002 - May 2014

In 2002, in the midst of my research into the life and writings of Fritz Peters, I created a website. It turned into an important way to connect with others interested in Fritz Peters' work. While I am still interested in this line of research, I have broadened my interests and have now created a new space in which to explore. My sincere thanks to all who have corresponded with me about Fritz Peters; shared your stories and materials. You have made a significant contribution to what I've been able to include and what we know about this wonderful author. Although FritzPeters.info no longer exists, much of the content will be moved to this new blog in the coming months. The text of the FritzPeters.info home page as it appeared on May 31, 2014 appears below.

Fritz Peters

March 2, 1913 - December 19, 1979

American Novelist & Gurdjieff Memoirist

Hello and welcome to the only site on the web dedicated to Fritz Peters. Fritz is most well known for his memoirs covering his early years living at G. I. Gurdjieff's Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man, Le Prieure des Basse Loges, near Fontainebleau-Avon. Boyhood with Gurdjieff has become a standard text for followers of the The Work worldwide. Prior to writing these memoirs he published several novels both in the United States and in England which received a good deal of interest. Like all writers, Fritz's writing was influenced by his own life. His first novel, in fact, is based on his own experience of a VA hospital after returning from World War II.

I became aware of Mr. Peters' writing in 1988, when I picked up a paperback copy of Finistère in the Gay Literature section of a local bookstore. It was the first gay novel that I had ever read and it is a story that touched my heart and above all let me know that I was not alone. Several years later, I began to track down Fritz's other writings and loved the quality and style of his work. My interest continued to grow as I began to do research on his life, coming up with very little. The librarian in me just couldn't let it go, and FritzPeters.info was born.

This web site is my attempt to put together what I have been able to gather about Fritz Peters along with a bibliography of the source material. I hope that others around the world will find it interesting and will share their thoughts, suggestions, or information with me. Thanks for visiting.

Eric Neagle