Fifty Gay and Lesbian Books Everybody Must Read

Richard Canning

Gay topics have been central to most national literary traditions, whether in fiction, memoir, drama, or verse. Yet “crossover” success stories are remarkably few, as are works of literature about gay subjects, written by heterosexual authors. Furthermore, openly gay-themed books tend to get passed over in favor of works more evidently addressing “universal” or “mainstream” concerns. No longer: Here’s the book that cues you in to the essential titles in thegay and lesbian literary canon.

Edited by Richard Canning, with a foreword from renowned literary critic Harold Bloom, this volume contains fifty succinct essays by critics, public figures, and authors. They illuminate works by fifty men and women that ‘everybody’ should read.

Canning tackles important themes, issues of regional and cultural diversity, political aspects, and analyses of that old chestnut: What makes a work of literature gay or lesbian? Don’t expect a definitive answer. ‘Do’ expect to learn why these titles are must-reads.

Rearrange your shelves, book-club lists, and expectations. Whether your preference is for Ginsberg or Woolf or Melville, this is one volume no bookworm-straight or gay-should miss out on.

Richard Canning is the editor of the Between Men ” series and author of ‘Gay Fiction Speaks’ and ‘Hear Us Out’, which won the 2005 Lambda Literary Award for Editor’s Choice. Born in England, he divides his time between London and Sheffield, where he is a lecturer in English and American literature at the University of Sheffield.

Click here for a list of Editions and Revisions

Check for it on:

Details

ISBN	9781593501198
Genre	Literary History
Publication Date	01-Jun-09
Publisher	Alyson Books
Editor	Richard Canning
Format	Trade Paperback
No. of Pages	288
Language	English
Rating	NotRated
Editor	Richard Canning
Subject	Books And Reading; Gays’ Homosexuality and literature; Homosexuality In Literature; Writings – History And Criticism
BookID	3948