The Gay Times Book of Short Stories: New Century, New Writing

by Paul McVeigh

The first book in a new series, "New Century, New Writing" offers an exciting mix of established names plus and adventurous new wave of gay and bisexual voices from England, Scotland and Wales. If you... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1902852192
• ISBN13: 9781902852195
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Gay Times Books
• Length: 305 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

New British Gay Fiction--Branching Garden of Spiky Species

Skip the dubious-toned Introduction, where editor Hartnett brashly trashes establishment-gay writers, proudly promises us the mysterious moon of "new talent." Because despite this yattering, he largely does deliver.A varied bag-but do read this book if you at all like (1) gay male short stories, (2) British fiction with its wry social-scene class-consciousness, (3) a lively variety of different-specied (styled) flowers in one garden (anthology). Something for many tastes. But mainly it's (4) the emotion in up to half of the stories. These fold feeling into their plots, and justify the book. And it's artistic emotion: both intense, and calmly controlled, hence earned, achieved. Brash rebel editor Hartnett in the Intro, turns into calm skilled editor Hartnett in the anthology itself...These worked for me. I mean, take the one about a drug-stoked foursome after a late party. I can't forget actually seeing, not just being told about, the quartet's mood of being perfectly barmy balmy blasted, and swooningly-blitzed...In another one, I can't forget realizing, not being informed about, how the younger man will surely leave the older one, in a few months' time, though not a word was spoken...Then I can't forget virtually experiencing, not being lectured about, the real, believable pain of multiple-minority identity conflects between a Nigerian and an Afro-Caribbean pair...Nor can I forget observing up close, not in a recollection, how a gay guy who escaped his stifling small town, returns and sees the pain of his friend still living his cramped buried life, although now accidently outed to his loathsome mates...And many others. A portrait of an obsessively-clinging dependent type. A chronicle of a guy sneakily setting his cap to snare as a lover, a rising star, even a Member of Parliament...There's even more variety, but you get the point. Oh, as good as any is editor Harnett's own story. It snapshots perfectly, ephebephile youths (well, randy bratty adolescents) and their frustrated admirers. But with a twist: why, why is best-buddy Michael so distant nowadays from the young narrator? (and we can't tell, but that's subtlety not trickery).True, not perfect; I found some slim dubious stories here. A couple of snuff-tales, plus gratuitous nothing-scenes, plus some confusing. Some frothy: "Uncle Deborah" is a transvestite tricker. Others run more conventional: the Indian student comes out bravely, the priest goes re-closeted after all. In a park, older but radical gays face-off to obtusely homophobic journalists.But the emotionalized stories carry the day. A good tossed-salad of British-toned, gay-flavored, stories.

New century, new writing

As Hartnett states in his introduction, he intended this collection to be edgy, atypical, far-reaching. And he's succeeded. The thirty-one stories collected here range in topics, styles, and impact, and all in all it's an excellent anthology showcasing both established and emerging talent from all over the United Kingdom, and including the full range of queer experiences. Nicholas Blincoe, Rupert Smith, Christopher Whyte, Peter Slater, Mike Parker, P-P Hartnett himself, Michael Arditti, and a host of others entertain the reader with stories of love, loss, humor, and sex. The best part of this anthology is it being an introduction to these authors many of whom I've never read.