Roof Beam Reader
Adam Burgess
The 100 “Best” Gay and Lesbian Novels (#OthersLitLGBT)
Today, I wanted to share with you all two lists that I stumbled across recently, which attempt to highlight the “best” gay and lesbian books of all time. The lists come from Publishing Triangle; the first is compiled by a panel of judges, most of whom have a literary or editorial background. The second list comes from general readers and was organized by the total number of times each book was mentioned (no “voting” or “judging”).
I am rather OCD, so I love lists. I love to be organized. And I also love to think about my own reading experiences in comparison to others’ – what do I find interesting and important versus what others do? Of course, I also hope that these lists will be a resource to participants in our current reading event, “The Literary Others.” Looking for books to read this month that will fit in with our event? Well, here you go! That being said, I certainly have my opinions on these lists, and I want to share those too (for whatever they’re worth).
I will italicize the books on this list whose presence I vehemently agree & which I can recommend highly as worthy or pleasurable reads.
I will strikeout those books that I think should not be listed, either because they are not, in my opinion, of “Top 100” standard OR because I do not feel they truly qualify as “Gay/Lesbian” literature.
For the books that I haven’t read or those which I’ve read and feel neutral about, I will just leave listed but unmarked.
Disclaimer: These are just my opinions – feel free to disagree with me! At the bottom of this post, I’m also going to add some thoughts on books I beileve should have been included.
Top 100 (Publishing Triangle’s Panel of Judges)
1. Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
2. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
3. Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet
4. Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust
5. The Immoralist by Andre Gide
6. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
7. The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
8. Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig
9. The Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar
10. Zami by Audré Lorde
11. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
12. Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
13. Billy Budd by Herman Melville
14. A Boy’s Own Story by Edmund White
15. Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran
16. Maurice by E. M. Forster
17. The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal
18. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
19. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
20. Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima
21. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
22. City of Night by John Rechy
23. Myra Breckinridge by Gore Vidal
24. Patience and Sarah by Isabel Miller
25. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
26. Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote
27. The Bostonians by Henry James
28. Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles
29. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
30. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
31. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
32. The Persian Boy by Mary Renault
33. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
34. The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst
35. Olivia by Dorothy Bussy
36. The Price of Salt (Carol) by Patricia Highsmith
37. Aquamarine by Carol Anshaw
38. Another Country by James Baldwin
39. Chéri by Colette
40. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
41. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
42. Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
43. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
44. The Friendly Young Ladies (The Middle Mist) by Mary Renault
45. Young Törless by Robert Musil
46. Eustace Chisholm and the Works by James Purdy
47. The Story of Harold by Terry Andrews
48. The Gallery by John Horne Burns
49. Sister Gin by June Arnold
50. Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall by Neil Bartlett
51. Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram
52. Naked Lunch by William Burroughs
53. The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood
54. The Young and Evil by Charles Henri Ford and Parker Tyler
55. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
56. A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan
57. Three Lives by Gertrude Stein
58. Concerning the Eccentricities of Cardinal Pirelli by Ronald Firbank
59. Rat Bohemia by Sarah Schulman
60. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
61. The Counterfeiters by André Gide
62. The Passion by Jeanette Winterson
63. Lover by Bertha Harris
64. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
65. La Bâtarde by Violette Leduc
66. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
67. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
68. The Satyricon by Petronius
69. The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell
70. Special Friendships by Roger Peyrefitte
71. The Changelings by Jo Sinclair
72. Paradiso by José Lezama Lima
73. Sheeper by Irving Rosenthal
74. Les Guerilleres by Monique Wittig
75. The Child Manuela (Mädchen in Uniform) by Christa Winsloe
76. An Arrow’s Flight by Mark Merlis
77. The Gaudy Image by William Talsman
78. The Exquisite Corpse by Alfred Chester
79. Was by Geoff Ryman
80. Théresè and Isabelle by Violette Leduc
81. Gemini by Michel Tournier
82. The Beautiful Room Is Empty by Edmund White
83. The Children’s Crusade by Rebecca Brown
84. The Story of the Night by Colm Toibin
85. The Holy Terrors (Les Enfants Terribles) by Jean Cocteau
86. Hell Has No Limits by José Donoso
87. Riverfinger Women by Elana Nachman (Dykewomon)
88. The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon by Tom Spanbauer
89. Closer by Dennis Cooper
90. Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac
91. Miss Peabody’s Inheritance by Elizabeth Jolley
92. René’s Flesh by Virgilio Piñera
93. Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai
94. Wasteland by Jo Sinclair
95. Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing by May Sarton
96. Sea of Tranquillity by Paul Russell
97. Autobiography of a Family Photo by Jacqueline Woodson
98. In Thrall by Jane DeLynn
99. On Strike Against God by Joanna Russ
100. Sita by Kate Millett
Reader Favorites (As Submitted by Readers, No “Judging” Involved)
1. The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren
2. The Hours by Michael Cunningham
3. The Charioteer by Mary Renault
4. Like People in History by Felice Picano
5. Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden
6. A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham
7. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
8. The Lost Language of Cranes by David Leavitt
9. Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim
10. The Object of My Affection by Stephen McCauley
11. Faggots by Lary Kramer
12. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
13. Other Women by Lisa Alther
14. Stars in my Pocket Like Grains of Sand by Samuel Delany
15. Six of One by Rita Mae Brown
16. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins
17. Martin and John by Dale Peck
18. Querelle by Jean Genet
19. The God in Flight by Laura Argiri
20. Totem Pole by Sanford Friedman
21. Falconer by John Cheever
22. Latin Moon in Manhattan by Jaime Manrique
23. Openly Bob by Bob Smith
24. The Lord Won’t Mind by Gordon Merrick
25. The Naked Civil Servant by Quentin Crisp
26. Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
27. Quatrefoil by James Barr
28. The Better Angel by Richard Meeker
29. Known Homosexual by Joseph Hanson
30. She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
31. Burning Houses by Andrew Harvey
32. The American Woman In The Chinese Hat by Carole Maso
33. Nightswimmer by Joseph Olshan
34. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
35. The Beauty of Men by Andrew Holleran
36. The Folded Leaf by William Maxwell
37. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
38. The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger
39. The Sea of Light by Jenifer Levin
40. Bending at the Bow by Marion Douglas
41. Amnesty by Louise Blum
42. Hood by Emma Donoghue
43. Queer by William Burroughs
44. Funeral Rites by Jean Genet
45. The Thief’s Journal by Jean Genet
46. Forbidden Colors by Yukio Mishima
47. The Grandmothers by Glenway Wescott
48. Scissors, Paper, Rock by Fenton Johnson
49. Just Above My Head by James Baldwin
50. Flesh and Blood by Michael Cunningham
51. Equal Affections by David Leavitt
52. Tim and Pete by James Robert Baker
53. Dance of the Warriors by Kevin Esser
54. Streetboy Dreams by Kevin Esser
55. Livre blanc by Jean Cocteau
56. Confession of Felix Krull by Thomas Mann
57. Pryor Rendering by Gary Reed
58. Winter Birds by Jim Grimsley
59. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
60. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
61. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
62. Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing by May Sarton
63. Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest
64. In a Shallow Grave by James Purdy
65. The Unlit Lamp by Radclyffe Hall
66. Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King
67. The Wild Boys by William S. Burroughs
68. Paxton Court by Diane Salvatore
69. Quatrefoil by James Barr
70. The Twyborn Affair by Patrick White
71. Hemlock and After by Angus Wilson
72. Chamber Music by Doris Grumbach
73. Ernesto by Umberto Saba
74. Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli
75. Bertram Cope’s Year by H.B. Fuller
76. Bom-Criulo by Adolfo Caminha
77. Nights in the Underground by Marie Claire Blais
78. The High Cost of Living by Marge Piercy
79. Toilet by Tom Woolley
80. Red Azalea by Anchee Min
81. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
82. Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley
83. Kissing the Witch by Emma Donohue
84. Biography of Desire by Mary Dorcey
85. Mother of the Grass by Jovette Marchessault
86. Six Chapters of a Floating Life by Shen Fu
87. The Four Winds by Gerd Brantenberg
88. China Mountain Zhang by Maureen McHugh
Some texts I would definitely add:
The Rain God by Arturo Islas
Memory Mambo by Chinua Achebe
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe
The Night Listener by Armistead Maupin
Under the Poppy by Kathe Koja
Narcissus and Goldmund by Herman Hesse
So, which books do YOU think should have made the cut, but didn’t? Which books are listed that shouldn’t be?
Event Giveaways #OthersLitLGBT
Hi, Folks!
This is just a quick note about two giveaways that are open right now for participants in The Literary Others reading event.
Giveaway #1 is actually two giveaways, won for residents of the USA and one for International folks. You could win either an Amazon gift card or a book from The Book Depository. This giveaway is hosted by The Oddness of Moving things. Ends Oct. 17.
Giveaway #2 will have three winners. Each will receive a copy of the literary classic Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin (author of Go Tell it on the Mountain). Head on over to The Brilliant Years to enter to win. Ends Oct. 8th.
Thanks to both giveaway hosts for helping us to kick-off this event with a bang! Good luck, entrants!
Giveway: The Complete Giver Quartet!
As many of you know (particularly those of you who have been keeping up with this blog for years), one of the bookish causes dearest to me is Censorship/Book Banning Awareness. I try to argue for open-mindedness whenever & wherever necessary, which means I’m often fighting against censorship in its many and varied forms. Yes, censorship is still very much alive.
This is why, every year, I participate in Banned Books Week and why, for a long time, I hosted a regular meme called “Saturdays, Uncensored.”
This year, I am happy to participate in a Giveaway for Banned Books Week. But, I am also excited to offer a supplementary giveaway of THE GIVER QUARTET.
Lois Lowry’s The Giver literally changed my life. I know that might sound a bit over-the-top, but it’s true. I read the book for the first time when I was twelve, and I have read it numerous times since. Its message, one of tolerance, individuality, and acceptance, is deeply profound. It is a message still important, after all these years. More than that, though, The Giver was the first book I read that I actually loved. It opened up this whole new world to me and now, nearly twenty years later, here I am, an out-and-out “reader” to the nth degree.
Today, the long-anticipated fourth and final book in The Giver quartet, Son, goes on sale. In celebration of its release + the fact that it is Banned Books Week (and this book is often challenged), I wanted to do something special for my subscribers and offer up one complete set of The Giver quartet in hardcover! The series, though not LGBT related, does also fit into the theme of our The Literary Others event, in that it encourages compassion and respect for those who may be different from us.
So, there you have it. All four books in the series, in the beautiful hardback editions pictured above, could be yours!
Prize Details:
The Giver by Lois Lowry (The Giver Quartet #1)
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (The Giver Quartet #2)
Messenger by Lois Lowry (The Giver Quartet #3)
Son by Lois Lowry (The Giver Quartet #4)
Rules:
1. Be 13+ (with parental permission to enter if under 13).
2. Be a subscriber of this blog.
–You can subscribe by e-mail (right-side menu) or through WordPress (if a member).
3. Fill out THIS FORM. (Giveaway has ended)
4. Winner will need to respond to my e-mail within 48 hours or new winner will be selected.
5. One entry per person. Multiple entries will disqualify you.
6. International.
You can earn additional entries (see Entry Form) by:
(+1) – Following me on Twitter (@RoofBeamReader)
(+1) – Liking my Facebook Page (Click Here)
(+2) – Tweeting this Message: @RoofBeamReader is giving away The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry! Visit http://wp.me/p1n6kW-Zg and enter for your chance to win all 4 books!
That’s it! Good Luck!
Banned Books Week ends on October 6th, so that will be the last day I take entries for this giveaway.
The Literary Others: An LGBT Reading Event (Master Post)
Welcome to the Master Post for The Literary Others Reading Event!
This is a one-month event focused on all things LGBT, in honor of LGBT History Month (USA). Reading that will count for this event include any novels, short stories, essays, memoirs, biographies, poetry, plays, etc. written by an author who identifies as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgendered. Also, any works written by heterosexual authors, but whose primary plot/characters revolve around LGBT issues will count as well. See this post for more information and some suggestions.
In early September, I announced sign-ups for the event, and was very happy to see that so many folks were interested and eager to get involved! Thank you all for your positivity and encouragement, and for spreading the word about this event (please continue to do so! Twitter: #OthersLitLGBT)
I have a lot of things planned for this month-including giveaways, guest posts, and, of course, my own reading and reviewing of LGBT works. First, let’s talk logistics.
At the bottom of this post is a “Mister Linky” widget. Whenever you review a book or write a post related to the event, please link it on this master post. Please include the title or subject of whatever your post is AND your blog name in the “Name” section of the link. It should look something like: “Master Post (Roof Beam Reader).” This will ensure that all the links are in a similar format, and that others will know what your post is about before they click on it. I will make sure that the button on the right side of my blog will take you to this post. Please make sure to only link-up your posts on this main Mister Linky list!
Whenever you link a post, you will become eligible to win the giveaways that I will be hosting here throughout the month. The only way to be entered for these prizes is to make sure your posts are linked-up here (this includes reviews of the books you’ve read, commentary on LGBT topics, giveaways, or any other posts directly related to this event).
There are also going to be quite a few giveaways hosted by participants of the event (thank you for your generosity!). Specific details for each of these giveaways may be different, so be sure to read the rules on those giveaway posts carefully and enter if you are interested! For any of the giveaways, here or at other participants’ blogs, you will need to be pre-registered (before October 1st) for this event in order to win.
My first read is: The Swimming Pool Library by Alan Hollinghurst. What’s yours?!
LINK UP YOUR POSTS/REVIEWS:
Blog Fest 2012!
You can earn additional entries (see Entry Form) by:
-Following me on Twitter (@RoofBeamReader)
-Liking my Facebook Page (Click Here)
Must be a subscriber of this blog to win (mandatory entry)
Roof Beam Reader 