50 GAY & LESBIAN BOOKS EVERYBODY MUST READ
Richard Canning (editor)
In a wide-ranging group of essays by some of today’s most outstanding novelists, writers, and critics, this book insists on the importance of these fifty titles to all readers but also challenges our own bookshelves to make room for new arrivals.
Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince. As late as 1958, homosexuality couldn’t be mentioned in a movie, as proven by the elaborate rituals the producers of Tennessee Williams’ swampy drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof used to evade the obvious fact that its hero, as played by Paul Newman, was playing it gay. Cinema emerged from its celluloid closet in 1960 and has since allowed many cult icons into America’s mainstream: Gay cowboys, gay Nazis, S&M fetish groups and women in love with each other. 50 Years of Queer Cinema documents it all, focusing on cinema’s most intriguing queer films.
James Gardiner£14.00 paperback Montague Glover was an architect, an army officer, a talented amateur photographer, and a homosexual. When he died in 1983 he left behind thousands of photographs spanning the period 1918 to the 1950s. They document his three great obsessions: the search for "rough trade"; men in uniform, and the handsome
A Compilation of Saints and Sinners by Erin McHugh. Whatever the reason for their fame, they’re the gays in our lives. Who was Alice B. Toklas? What was Harvey Milk’s fate? Did Pope Joan really exist? And just who are Silo & Roy? Find out the answers - and more - in the delightfully wicked A Gay in the Life. From celebrities to ordinary heroes, these bios are as informative as they are entertaining.
By José Quiroga. This book examines the political and social context in which Almodóvar created Law of Desire, as well as its impact on LGBT cinema both in Europe and around the world.
By Jon Davies. The book examines the film in the context of Morrissey and Warhol's legendary partnership, with a special focus on Woodlawn's acclaimed performance: a glorious embodiment of "trash" and glamour that was so stunning, director George Cukor led a campaign (albeit unsuccessful) to win her an Oscar nomination.
By David L. Chapman and Brett Josef Grubisic. American Hunks is a fascinating collection of images (many in full colour) depicting the muscular American male as documented in popular culture from 1860 to 1970. The book, divided into specific historic eras, includes such personalities as bodybuilder Charles Atlas; pioneer weightlifter Eugene Sandow; movie stars like Steve "Hercules" Reeves and Johnny "Tarzan" Weismuller; and publications such as the 1920s-era magazine Physical Culture and the 1950s-era comic book Mr. Muscles. It also touches on the use of masculine, homoerotic imagery...
By Jonathan Fryer. In the autumn of 1891 Oscar Wilde set about conquering literary Paris. In the process, he bowled over 22-year-old Andre Gide and the two writers met repeatedly over the next ten years. Fryer charts the stormy emotions as well as the influence they had on each other.
By Jeffrey Weeks & Kevin Porter. From 1885 until 1967 all homosexual acts in Britain were illegal and those bold enough to test the limits of the law were either imprisoned or ostracized. This book chronicles the lives of 15 men during this time and whose stories are drawn from extensive interviews conducted in the late 1970s
A Queer Film Classic. By Will Aitken. Based on Thomas Mann’s novella of the same name, Death in Venice told the story of a middle-aged man (played by Dirk Bogarde) on holiday in Venice who becomes obsessed with a youth staying at the same hotel as a wave of cholera descends upon the city. Directed by one of Italy’s openly gay, revolutionary filmmakers, Luchino Visconti, Death in Venice became one of the most controversial films of the 1970s. Analysing the film’s cultural impact and providing a vivid portrait of the director, Death in Venice is an essential guide.
By Richard Dyer & Sandi Toksvig. A long overdue book to recognise the important role of gay icons, and their contribution to contemporary culture and society. The question of what it means to be a 'gay icon' is explored by ten high-profile figures. Each one has selected six powerful images of individuals who not only have significance for themselves, but also raise issues about gender identity, history and iconography for wider consideration.
