James Purdy (July 17, 1914-March 13, 2009)

I became aware of James Purdy’s work shortly before his death in 2009. Not knowing exactly where to begin, I decided to begin at the beginning with his collection of short stories titled, Don’t Call Me By My Right Name (subsequently published with his first novella 63: Dream Palace as Color of Darkness (New Directions, 1961)). I haven’t been so enamored with a short story collection in a very long while. Having recently picked up a copy of The Complete Short Stories of James Purdy (Liveright, 2013), I look forward to reading more of his work. Wired for Books has posted some very good interviews with Purdy conducted by Don Swaim in the 1980s.

This post originally appeared in slightly different form  on FritzPeters.info, April 18, 2009. 

The Book of the Year by Fritz Peters

New York:  Harper & Bros., 1950

After the tremendously successful The World Next Door, Fritz Peters took a break from writing adult fiction and produced a wonderful children's book. The Book of the Year is about country life and is told from 12 perspectives, one for each month. Fritz, by turns,  tells the story of the house, the brook, the crocus, the grass, the tree, the rain, the sun, the wheat, the fire, the wind, the cricket and the Christmas tree. The writing is poetic and paints pictures that are enhanced by the wonderful illustrations by Ilonka Karasz.

The Book of the Year was marketed as a children's book, however as an adult, I found it to be one of the most engaging children's books I've seen. What I found so compelling about the work was that each of the chapters can stand alone and the story that is being told is so interconnected, you could begin reading anywhere in the book. As well, the illustrations by Ilonka Karasz work so well with the text. "Her aim was to illustrate the book in such a way that the drawings would be an extension of the emotion and visual elements of the text, rather than an interpretation of the events." (dustjacket) In this endeavor, Ms. Karasz was completely successful.

New York : Lion Press, 1966

A second edition was released by The Lion Press in 1966 under the title, All the Year 'Round: The Book of the Year. It includes the same text as was in the 1st edition, but was re-illustrated by Nancy Grossman. The new illustrations work well with the text, but are quite different in feeling than the originals. The most striking difference is that the new edition has two illustrations per chapter, while the original had a single illustration. Ms. Karasz, in the 1950 edition was able to convey nearly all of the imagery from the text in a single image. Part of the joy of her artwork is trying to find all of the little things that she managed to include. The Grossman illustrations, while adequate, don't convey that level of detail.

When I first discovered that Fritz Peters had written a children's book, I was puzzled. His adult fiction was so intense, I wondered why he chose to write this book. After reading The Book of the Year, I think that it was less about writing a children's book and more about writing something poetic and spiritual. Understanding how humans relate to each other and the other aspects of nature and seeing the interdependencies all living things rely upon is a deeply spiritual vision. All of Fritz's writings, I feel were used to tell his truths. This book is no different. If there is anything that we should gain from reading this book it is that we are all connected. And that is a beautiful thing.

This post originally appeared in slightly different form  on FritzPeters.info, January 17, 2010. 

All Things Human by Stuart Benton (George Sylvester Viereck)

New York: Sheridan House, 1949

Viereck is probably more well known for his  autobiographical pulp, Men Into Beasts which detailed his imprisonment from 1942 to 1947 for his Nazi sympathies and his work as a correspondent for a Nazi publication.

All Things Human is the story of Stuart Kent, a banker in Midmetropolis, who ends up on the wrong side of a powerful politician. The day after he has sex with his secretary, he is arrested for her murder. His lawyer is more interested in Kent's wife than he is in defending him.

It's a bit sensational and trashy but at the same time shows the fluidity of sexuality, in and out of prison. It's about having everything, losing it all and finding yourself in the process.

Bibliographies & Ratings: Cory (III); Garde (OTP, a, **); Mattachine Review (III); Young (260)

Cloudscape, Santa Fe

The Promising Young Men by George Sklar

New York: Crown Publishers, 1951

Stevie Kropa grew up poor and saw his tennis talent as a way to  achieve his goal of becoming a doctor. He learns quickly that although the tennis organization provides for him, they get much more out of it than he does. His wife Kay doesn't understand why, given all of the special treatment he gets as a tennis player, he still wants to go to school.  This tension destroyed his marriage. An older, more experienced player, Calder, takes Stevie under his wing, but is tennis all he has in mind?

Although not the primary storyline, Calder's homosexuality plays an important role in the journey of Stevie. While he is surprised to discover this aspect of Calder and he does distance himself for a period of time, the mentoring he received was what helped him to succeed. After the war they meet again, not as a gay man and a straight man, but as two former 'promising young men' who have survived.

Bibliographies & Ratings: Cory (II); Garde (OTP, a, **); Mattachine Review (III); Young (3542)

Bibliographies of Gay Literature

Over the years there have been a number of bibliographies created to define and describe literature with gay content or a gay sensibility. The titles included here focus primarily on pre-Stonewall fiction. In appropriate blog entries, I will reference these bibliographies and include any associated ratings.

New York: Castle, 1960

The Homosexual in America : A Subjective Approach, 2nd ed.
Cory, Donald Webster (pseud. Edward Sagarin)
New York: Castle, 1960
Appendix D: A Checklist of Literature

The updated checklist in Cory's 2nd edition was compiled with the assistance of The Mattachine Society so significant similarity exists with the ratings from the Mattachine Review list (see below).

I. the theme is presented in a hidden fashion; its listing is matter of personal interpretation of the readers. The presentation is usually either as a glorified friendship, or a transposition of sexes.
II. the theme is rather clear, but is brief, mentioned in passing and minor to the book as a whole.
III. a major incident or a major character deals with homosexuality.
IV. the book is primarily concerned with homosexuality.

New York: Village Press, 1959

The Homosexual in Literature : A Chronological Bibliography, c.700 B.C. - 1958

Garde, Noel I. (pseud. Edgar J. Leoni)
New York: Village Press, 1959

For more information on Edgar J. Leoni and the history of this bibliography, see Hugh Hagius' Swasarnt Nerf's Gay Guides for 1949.

Primary: Central character(s) clearly homosexual(s) and/or homosexuality is intrinsic part of central theme or network of plots.
Other Than Primary (OTP): All other works not considered as "Primary", and differentiated by the following letter-symbols:

a: substantial, explicit dialogue or exposition involving major homosexual character(s).
b: substantial dialogue or explicit exposition involving minor homosexual character(s).
c: latent, veiled, repressed or implied homosexuality of a major character.
d: brief, superficial references in dialogue or exposition, whether involving major or minor homosexual characters.
e: third-person references (character not in book); latent, veiled homosexuality of minor character in work of a significant author.
f: false suspicion or accusation, or self-suspicion.

In some cases, where use of one letter alone would give an inadequate impression, several are used in combination, e.g. c/d or b&c.

It does not by any means follow that all works which by definition are "Primary" are necessarily more significant, even with respect to substantial homosexual content, than all OTP works. To provide some further guidance, references include the following asterisk notations, uniform to both Primary and OTP listings:

*** very substantial
** quite substantial, or something of especial interest
* not very substantial
(no asterisk) rather negligible

San Francisco: Mattachine Society, 1957-1960

Mattachine Review, Homophilic Bibliography

v.3:no.8 - v.6:no.11

Aug. 1957 - Nov. 1960

San Francisco: Mattachine Society

Beginning with Part V of the bibliography the focus shifts to fiction, poetry, drama, biography, etc. (Prior installments focused on technical and reference books on homosexuality.)

I. works in which homosexuality is only implied, suggested or presented in a veiled fashion

II. works in which homosexuality, while appearing in clear-cut fashion, plays only a minor part, or in which a minor character is a homosexual.

III. works which include a major or important homosexual episode, or in which a major character is a homosexual.

IV. works dealing primarily with homosexuality, or in which homosexuality is the most important theme.

Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1982

The Male Homosexual in Literature : A Bibliography, 2nd ed.

Young, Ian

Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1982

This is the gold standard and is often referenced in the used book market for items of gay interest. Young references both Cory and Garde for their earlier lists. Although items from both Cory and Garde are included in Young, the rating systems these authors used provide a level of detail (although subjective) that Young lacks.

[W]orks of primary importance (those in which homosexuality is a major aspect or which are otherwise of particular relevance) are marked thus *. Items not marked in this way have undefined homosexual content.

Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 by Francine Prose

New York: Harper, 2014

Primarily the story of Lou Villars, a French athlete, race car driver, butch lesbian, and in the end a collaborator with the Nazis, Prose's novel begins in the mid 1920s and continues through World War II and the liberation of France. At the center of the story is the Chameleon Club, a cabaret in Paris where our diverse characters first meet and the famous photograph that provides the book's title is taken.

Brassai
Lesbian Couple at
The Monocle, 1932

The novel is told by turns through the letters of Gabor Tsenyi (based on Brassai), a Hungarian photographer who documents the underbelly of Paris as it moves toward the German occupation, the memoirs of Lily de Rossignol (a baroness married to a gay man) who surrounds herself with artists and art, the writings of Lionel Maine (Henry Miller), a controversial American writer and a present day biography of Lou Villars herself.

Although much of the novel's action is revealed on the dust jacket, there remain a few surprises. It's an insanely well-written, smart novel that had me vacillating between reading quickly to find out what happens next and reading slowly because I didn't want it to end.