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Christopher Matthew Hennessy

Goodreads author profile

url

http://www.goodreads.com/Chennessy

born

September 16, 1973

gender

male

member since

May 2008

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207 posts
Christopher Matthew Hennessy's Blog

Joe Brainard, Tim Dlugos and ‘the gay artist’ question

From the new Joe Brainard Collected Works, via an interview at the back of the book with Tim Dlugos. (Thanks, Matthew Hittinger! And congrats on Skin Shift!)

TD: Do you consider yourself a “gay artist”? Is there such a thing as “gay art” outside of subject matter? Is there a “gay sensibility” that infuses your work of infuses the work of poets you know?

JB: Does a gay sensibility exist?

TD: Does i...

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Published on May 18, 2012 07:21 • 1 view

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Books by Christopher Matthew Hennessy

Average rating: 4.75 · 12 ratings · 2 reviews · 2 distinct works

	Love-In-Idleness 4.75 avg rating — 8 ratings	My rating:
	Outside the Lines: Talking with Contemporary Gay Poets by Christopher Matthew Hennessy (Goodreads Author), Christopher Matthew Ec 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2005 — 2 editions	My rating:

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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Christopher is Currently Reading

Christopher is currently reading:

Dunstan Thompson: On the Life and Work of a Lost American Master

by D.A. Powell (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

My rating:

Christopher said: "I am currently reading Dunstan Thompson: On the Life and Work of a Lost American Master. This is a richly constructed tribute (and something more complex than that at the same time) to Thompson, who was gay (though that too, it becomes clear, is more...more I am currently reading Dunstan Thompson: On the Life and Work of a Lost American Master. This is a richly constructed tribute (and something more complex than that at the same time) to Thompson, who was gay (though that too, it becomes clear, is more complex). The book contains beautiful photographs of the strangely handsome Thompson, actual clippings from Thompson's short-lived lit man Vice Versa, varied essays from scholars who have thought deeply on his work, and most importantly a folio of his work (his early book are said to be hard to get a hold of and are out of print). Thompson's WWII era poetry is something to experience! The editors are D.A. Powell and Kevin Prufer, so even if all of that doesn't make you want to check this book out, that should. Here's the basics:

"In the 1940s, Dunstan Thompson, a gay WWII veteran, was a darling of the Modernist poetry communities in New York and London and widely considered one of the most talented poets of his generation. In 1950, he all but disappeared. This book (which includes his poems and essays by various critics--among them Katie Ford, Dana Gioia, Edward Field, Jerry Harp, Jim Elledge, and Heather Treseler) examines his legacy, his poetry, and his eventual abandonment of his earlier gay identity in favor of a reinvigorated Catholicism. It's the first volume in Pleiades Press's "Unsung Masters Series" (Amazon)

Jim Elledge's the essay, I have to admit, was the piece I most interested in reading, especially seeing that he edited this book (which I want!!). His essay, "Dunstan Thompson's Beautiful and Butcher Beast, Unleashed and on the Prowl," theorizes that Thompson was trying to connect with both gay and non-gay readerships. Elledge writes, "Thompson is far more open in his view of the beloved than the times typically allowed, all too aware of the pros and cons of surrendering himself to another especially during times of way, all too aware of how any relationship with another soldier would, by necessity, be temporary. After all, the lover and his beloved are warriors whose very lives depended on their being focused on surviving battles and on killing others. Survival,that lovely euphemism for putting oneself first and others later, allows for carefree couplings---tricks, one-night stands---and for disregarding a sex-mate's feelings after orgasm." (Interesting to think about Thompson's work in light of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy!) It's Thompson's way of picturing the lover in "contradictory and in decidedly unsympathetic" as well as "his willingness" to portray the lover in "realistic terms" that Elledge says "hooked" him.

Also check out Clive James' "The Necessary Minimum: Dunstan Thompson slides out of the shadows," which contains this moment:

"From what thin biographical evidence exists, it is possible to conclude that Thompson was one of those gay male poets trapped between the urge to speak and the love that dare not speak its name. Auden escaped the trap by scarcely dropping a hint until the safety whistle blew decades later. But Thompson wanted to spill the beans, not just about Damon and Pythias and Richard II and A.E. Housman—whether named or merely alluded to, they all crop up during the poem—but about himself and his lover, evidently a fellow serviceman. Unfortunately he could spill only a few beans at once. There were limits to what he could say, and the result is a flurry of tangential suggestions, a cloud of innuendo."(less) "

Jul 29, 2010 07:53am · see review

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Christopher's Recent Updates

Christopher is now friends with Donald
6 hours, 38 min ago
Christopher became a fan of Goodreads Author Matthew Hittinger
Mar 20, 2012 09:05am · all of Christopher's favorite authors
Christopher liked Andrew's review of Love-In-Idleness: " Gorgeous! Simply gorgeous! I love the tone of his lyrics. He has a wonderful command of language! "
Jan 05, 2012 06:59am · see review
Christopher is now following Laura's reviews
Dec 06, 2011 06:41pm
Christopher made a comment on his review of Love-In-Idleness "Thank you! I was thrilled! "
Dec 01, 2011 09:19am · see review
Christopher added: Love-In-Idleness by Christopher Matthew Hennessy (Goodreads Author)	My rating:
Aug 19, 2011 08:04am
Christopher added: Outside the Lines: Talking with Contemporary Gay Poets by Christopher Matthew Hennessy (Goodreads Author)	My rating:
Dec 21, 2010 08:17pm
Christopher made a comment on No Tell Motel: "I just found that myself. How easy! And how have I not known about this. And I also just saw people rated it! How cool! Including you! THANKS!!! What...more "
Dec 07, 2010 06:43pm
Christopher is currently reading: Dunstan Thompson: On the Life and Work of a Lost American Master by D.A. Powell (Goodreads Author)	My rating:
I am currently reading Dunstan Thompson: On the Life and Work of a Lost American Master. This is a richly constructed tribute (and something more complex than that at the same time) to Thompson, who was gay (though that too, it becomes clear, is more...more
Jul 29, 2010 07:53am · see review
Christopher joined the Guilty Pleasures group.
Jul 20, 2010 03:53pm · see group