As a result of an effervescent period of rapid social change that had occurred shortly before, the 1970s witnessed the process of consolidating gay identity reach its full maturity. At the heart of this broad social phenomenon was the pursuit of rights by a minority group, as well as the growing sense of community among people who shared not only a corresponding sexuality but also similar cultural experiences. It was a time when members of the gay community sought to build and solidify their connection with one another on an unprecedented scale, and literature played a fundamental role in this process.
The growing demand and public interest in literary content on the subject have resulted not only in the rise of gay literature as a recognized genre but also in the proliferation of gay characters to such an extent that it sometimes becomes difficult to determine whether or not a book can be classified as a "gay novel." And, unlike the popular tragic archetype of past decades, many of these contemporary characters are also portrayed as sexually active beings. This new freedom has also obviously led to a variety of dated and/or straight-up negative characterizations of homosexuals, as homophobic writers have also felt more comfortable addressing the subject openly.
For better or for worse, in this post-Stonewall scenario, homosexuality became a matter that everyone could talk about, and the homosexual person became a somewhat defined, visible, and permanent figure in the social fabric of American society.
The New York Times best seller list was also affected by changes: in September 1977, it was expanded to a ranking of 15 positions, a configuration that remains unchanged to this day. 1977 was also the year in which the paperback best seller list, which emerged in 1965 in a rather rudimentary form, finally consolidated into a stable ranking, reflecting the growing importance of this segment of the literary market.
This is the final installment in a series that has attempted to trace the rise and trends of gay literature. It also serves as a way to demystify some misconceptions: it is often reported, for example, that Patricia Nell Warren's The Front Runner (1974) was the first contemporary gay novel to make the best seller list — not only are there much older titles that can claim this feat, but also this particular novel never appeared on the list (not even in the paperback one)!
The Lord Won't Mind (1970) by Gordon Merrick
The Lord Won't Mind marked a literary comeback for actor-turned-author Gordon Merrick: he had already experienced success with The Strumpet Wind in the late 1940s, but his momentum fizzled out quickly. This time, with an explicitly gay novel, he managed to find more stable ground. The Lord Won't Mind was promoted as a "landmark" release "against literary censorship": it tells the story of Peter and Charlie, a couple who had to overcome a series of hardships before finally being able to be together.
Modern readers are likely to be repelled by the often blatant misogyny, racism, and internalized homophobia present in Merrick's text, but at the time, the novel was a huge success among gay audiences and proved that releases aimed at this demographic could be profitable. Merrick didn't shy away from detail in his sex scenes, and this — coupled with a happy ending — was a crucial factor that made The Lord Won't Mind so irresistible to many young men who were seeking any media that actually reflected their sexuality, even if literary critics disliked it.
After the novel's original publisher, Bernard Geis Associates, declared bankruptcy just a year after its release, The Lord Won't Mind was re-released by Avon Books, which also published two sequels in what became known as the Peter & Charlie trilogy. Avon also published five other gay novels by Merrick, all illustrated by notable artist Victor Gadino.
Overall, The Lord Won’t Mind has sold over 3 million copies. In the 2000s, a planned film adaptation entered pre-production, but the project failed to secure funding.
The Value of Nothing (1970) by John Weitz
The Value of Nothing follows the rise and fall of Philip Ross as a prominent fashion designer, tracking his journey as a social-climbing gay man navigating the backstabbing and scheming of the industry in mid-20th-century America. Weitz himself was a successful designer, and, despite his denials, Ross is widely believed to have been inspired by Bill Blass, another notable name in the fashion world. When Blass was asked how he could remain friends with Weitz after such an unfavorable portrayal, he replied: "Well, I am described very attractively."
The Throne of Saturn (1971) by Allen Drury
Accurately described on its cover as "a novel of space and politics," The Throne of Saturn centers on another space race between the United States and the Soviet Union — this time to reach Mars — and the political drama that unfolds inside and outside NASA during the preparation and execution of the American mission.
One of the mission crew members, Dr. Pete Balkis, harbors an unrequited love for a fellow male astronaut. As in the widely successful Advise and Consent (1959), which features Drury's first gay main character, Balkis' plot is tragic but handled in a sympathetic way. Nevertheless, The Throne of Saturn was critically panned for its overly conservative tone. It is reported that Richard Nixon had a copy of the novel on his desk on the day of his resignation.
Maurice (1971) by E. M. Forster
One of the most remarkable gay novels of the 20th century, Maurice has a background development as significant as its plot. A coming-of-age novel centered on Maurice Hall, a middle-class young man struggling with his homosexuality and his love affairs in Edwardian England, Maurice was primarily inspired by Edward Carpenter and George Merrill, a gay couple Forster knew. The author wrote most of the work between 1913 and 1914, with considerable revisions and additions in the following decades.
Maurice was never published during Forster's lifetime. Male homosexuality was illegal in the United Kingdom at the time, and he feared the repercussions that associating himself with such material could have on his life, in addition to insisting on the indispensability of the novel's happy ending. Over the decades, the manuscript of Maurice was read by members of Forster's social circle and gained notoriety; his friend and fellow writer Christopher Isherwood vehemently advocated for the novel's publication, which occurred in 1971, shortly after Forster's death. Forster dedicated it "to a happier year."
Maurice received mixed reviews from literary critics, with many accusing it of being overly propagandistic. After the release of a film adaptation in 1987, the work's reputation began to gradually grow over the years.
The Persian Boy (1972) by Mary Renault
The second entry in Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy, The Persian Boy chronicles the latter half of the ancient Macedonian ruler's life — including his numerous conquests — from the perspective of his young Persian favorite, Bagoas. The novel not only surpassed the success of its predecessor, Fire from Heaven (1969), but also eventually became the most popular and well-known title in Renault's bibliography.
Thus, in a sense, The Persian Boy represents both the author's commercial zenith and, effectively, the end of it: her two subsequent and final novels had a considerably smaller impact, as gay audiences began moving towards the work of a new generation of writers, most notably those from The Violet Quill group.
Cashelmara (1974) by Susan Howatch
Released three years after Howatch's big breakthrough, Penmarric (1971), Cashelmara is another well-received historical family saga. The novel reimagines the lives of three medieval English kings — Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III — and their multi-generational conflicts in 19th-century Ireland, where their estate of Cashelmara is located. Patrick de Salis, representing the second Edward, is homosexual, and his male lovers create significant conflict within his marriage. By 1975, at least 1.5 million copies of the novel had already been sold.
Crowned Heads (1976) by Thomas Tryon
Crowned Heads comprises four short stories about fictional and decadent stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, written by another actor-turned-author, Thomas Tryon. The fourth story, "Willie," is a tale of a wealthy, retired actor whose home is invaded by three sinister delinquents. It is clearly inspired by the lives of Ramon Novarro and Clifton Webb — two gay actors — and Willie himself all but openly admits he’s gay as well (“I once had a passion. Not a perf’ctly grand passion... nor necessarily normal one...”).
Falconer (1977) by John Cheever
John Cheever's first novel in eight years, Falconer became a significant critical and commercial success for the author, topping the best seller list and being proclaimed "A Great American Novel" on the cover of Newsweek. The story follows drug addict Ezekiel Farragut, a man imprisoned in Falconer Correctional Facility for the murder of his brother. At some point, Farragut takes a male lover, one of his fellow inmates.
Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to the novel for $90,000, but a film adaptation was never produced.
Delta of Venus (1977) by Anaïs Nin
Delta of Venus is a collection of erotic short stories by French-American author AnaĂŻs Nin. The work addresses a wide range of fetishes and allures, and male homosexuality is most evident in a particular story of very questionable morals.
Nin wrote the stories on commission from a private collector in the 1940s. At the time, she had no intention of publishing them, fearing that associating her name with erotica would tarnish her literary reputation. However, she changed her mind in the last years of her life, allowing the book to be released shortly after her death. The title became a runaway best seller, and a film of the same name, loosely inspired by the work, was released in 1994.
Dreams Die First (1977) by Harold Robbins
Set in 1960s California, Dreams Die First tells the story of Gareth Brendan, a bisexual man who transforms an underground newspaper gifted to him into a popular pornographic magazine, building a multifaceted empire around it and leading a life of violence, sex, and drugs. Brendan is considered heavily inspired by Larry Flynt, the notorious late owner of Hustler magazine. The novel has sold over 3 million copies.
Dress Gray (1978) by Lucian K. Truscott IV
Technically, Dress Gray shouldn't be listed here, given that its protagonist is a straight man. However, considering the entire premise of the novel revolves around what happened to a gay man, I feel it deserves a spot on this roster.
The story takes place at a military academy in the late 1960s. Cadet David Hand is found dead, apparently drowned. The autopsy reveals that he likely engaged in homosexual sex and was afterward murdered, but the institution seems to be trying to cover up the incident. A fellow cadet, Ry Slaight, attempts to expose the truth and goes against the system in his quest.
Dress Gray was adapted into a two-part television miniseries in 1986, with a screenplay by Gore Vidal.
VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT: MOST MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT IN THE WORLD
On August 19, 1666, the rector of Prague University sent a letter and a manuscript to one of his former students, the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher. The manuscript had lain forgotten in the monastery library in Frascati, Italy, for 250 years. It was obtained by Wilfred Voynich in 1912 and went on to be dubbed "the Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World."
Christened the Voynich, the six-by-nine-inch parchment codex appears to be a straightforward book. It is, however, over two hundred pages written in a code or unknown language that has never been deciphered. The text is elaborately illustrated with colored drawings of unknown plants and the sun, moon, and stars. Depictions of tiny naked women also frolic over the pages.
First appearing in history in 1586, the book was purchased for a then-outrageous sum of 600 ducats by the Holy Roman emperor, Rudolf II of Bohemia. One of the most eccentric European monarchs of the era, Rudolf collected dwarfs, had a regiment of giants in his army, and entertained all manner of magicians and alchemists. It has been suggested that the Voynich manuscript is the work of Roger Bacon, a famous English monk and scientist, and that it made its way to Prague via John Dee, a famous occultist of the time.
From dating of the vellum, pigments, calligraphy, and drawings, the manuscript is judged to be from the late thirteenth century. It has been labeled as everything from an illustrated herbal, to an alchemical treatise written in code to protect the contents, to an elaborate hoax. Its contents are roughly thought to be divided into sections of astronomy/astrology, biology, cosmology, pharmaceuticals, and recipes. After Voynich's widow died, the manuscript was sold to a book dealer and then donated to Yale University.
Text from: Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violins, published by Weiser Books, 2009
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