Some men in London : queer life, 1945-1959
2024
Books, Manuscripts
Find it!
In the 1940s, it was believed that homosexuality had been becoming more widespread in the aftermath of war. A moral panic ensued, centred around London as the place to which gay men gravitated. Peter Parker explores what it was actually like for queer men in London in this period, whether they were well-known figures such as John Gielgud, 'Chips' Channon and E.M. Forster, or living lives of quiet - or occasionally rowdy - anonymity in pubs, clubs, more public places of assignation, or at home. It is rich with letters, diaries, psychological textbooks, novels, films, plays and police records, covering a wide range of viewpoints, from those who deplored homosexuality to those who campaigned for its decriminalisation. This first volume, from 1945 to 1959, details a community forced to live at constant risk of blackmail or prison. Yet it also shows a thriving and joyous subculture.
Main title:
Some men in London : queer life, 1945-1959 / edited by Peter Parker.
Author:
Imprint:
UK : Penguin Books, 2024.UK : Penguin Books, 2024.
Collation:
v, 458 pages ; 24 cm.
Series title:
Notes:
"Vol. 1"--Front cover.Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9780241370605 (hbk)
Dewey class:
306.7662
Language:
English
Subject:
Gay men -- England -- London -- Social life and customs -- 20th centuryGay men -- England -- London -- Social conditions -- 20th centuryGay men -- England -- London -- History -- 20th centuryLondon (England) -- History -- 20th centuryFamily and RelationshipsLGBTQ+ InterestLondon, Greater Londonc 1950 to c 1959GayLiterary essaysAnthologies: general
BRN:
2904967