Forgotten gay writers, musicians, artists?
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Through a sheer fluke I found myself exchanging a couple of emails with gay novelist Victor Banis. Thankfully one gay publisher has thought to revive some of Banis' work.
Queer theorists and gay academics on and off have engaged in reclamation of forgotten queer culture. Mostly is seems polarized on two ends: gay high culture (Tchaikovsky and gay pornography to give the easiest examples).
In the shadowlands of queer culture there may have been gay novelists, lyricists, singers, painters, photographers whose vision, if only the image of an instant deepened your sense of your self as a gay man, made you smile, raised your mood. Maybe you've never seen another mention of them, don't know of their other works. But some gratitude remains alive within you for the pleasure they gave you, the momentary liberation.
Haven't you wanted to know more about them? Wondered if there they'd produced other work that would've made your days happier? Some gay creative force you'd like to see revived, remembered, rediscovered?
Leave his name below. Maybe you, we will be lucky. You'd be surprised to discover the gay creators who'd be happy to know of their fans and admirers if they knew they exist.
Comments
well, i would love to know how Larry Duplechan is doing, and of course if he’s writing still.
please tell us/me more about Victor & his books
Posted by: d | July 16, 2004 1:57 AM
Hey - is that FLAMING SUCKERS image from my eBay auction???? I wish I didnt have to sell a lot of the stuff I’ve sold, but…. anyway, yes, please more from Mr Banis - aka Jay Symon, Don Holliday, J. X. Williams, Victor Jay, etc. I think one of the most facinating things about the gay novels from 1965-1975 is that while the covers may have been a bit OVER THE TOP, often the actual books are quite fun, have real, interesting characters that aren’t all self-hating or suicidal as the myth about these books seems to have become.
Posted by: bj | July 16, 2004 10:59 AM
Such a interesting topic.. and so badly answered.
Though I do know what has happened with this particular gay writer, I think there are quite a number of people who have never heard of him because he is a brasilian writer. His name is Caio Fernando Abreu, I have yet to read anything from him that is short from brilliant.
Posted by: Haine | February 21, 2005 4:42 PM