Some Men in London: Queer Lives 1945-1967
Peter Parker’s acclaimed two-volume anthology uncovers the rich reality of life for queer men in London, from the end of the Second World War to decriminalization in 1967. 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 explores what it was actually like for queer men in London in this period, whether they were well known figures such as Francis Bacon, Joe Orton and Kenneth Williams, or living lives of quiet anonymity in pubs, clubs, more public places of assignation, or at home. Peter’s research encompasses 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, resulting in the landmark 1967 act decriminalising homosexuality.
A monumental achievement… an irresistibly immersive history…. no brief description can capture the richness and variety of this fabulous project… Brilliantly compiled and wryly edited, it’s often a darkly funny book, infused with all the joy, tragedy, strangeness and frailty of human life. I loved it – Dominic Sandbrook, The Times
This is an anthology with an immense amount to tell us about its period, scrupulously sieved, and just as much about our lives now… Peter Parker has assembled a fascinating amount of written material about the existence of homosexual men from 1945 until 1967… A wonderful range of extracts from outrageous pulp fiction makes this substantial anthology unmissable – Philip Hensher, The Spectator
Some Men in London animates mid-century gay life with panoramic, surround-sound effect, while its collage-like form makes for easily digestible reading. If you think you already know this period, think again…. a magnificent history of postwar gay life and moral panic… The rich cultural, political and social montage that emerges is the combined result of Parker’s comprehensive grasp of the period and a process of meticulous curation – Lucy Scholes, The FT
– Praise for Volume One –
**A TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR**
‘Quite simply, this book is a work of genius’ – Matthew Parris, Spectator
