Queer Reader

by Patrick Higgins

A Queer Reader is a rich and provocative collection of writings about male homosexuality—a gay version of Bartlett’s Quotations , with authors ranging from Plato to Andy Warhol. Arranging entries chronologically and drawing on sources from the Satyricon to Gay News , from Michelangelo's sonnets to a speech in the House of Lords, from sexually explicit graffiti found in Pompeii to a Playboy interview with David Bowie, Patrick Higgins uses novels, biographies, autobiographies, histories, and ephemera to present gay history as never before.

Genres: Queer, Gay, Nonfiction, History, LGBT, Sociology, Queer Studies

416 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 1994

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I've owned a copy for years, I only got around to reading 'A Queer Reader' a few months ago. Expansive in its coverage, the book quotes hundreds of sources from Antiquity to contemporary times (up to the early 1990s). Each passage is either penned by a gay person, about one or more, or documents antigay actions, laws and descriptions. It was fun to read a few pages a night as bedtime reading.

The most fascinating are the accounts of ancient loves between men (it's mostly a male-focused collection), the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and 18th and 19th centuries. As the collected quotes move forward in time, the variance of views on acceptance versus assimilation (and outright homophobia) offer varied perspectives.

Editor Higgins' essays preceding each section take on a sometimes snippy tone that's dismissive of 'left' activism. The 1970s-1990s sections rely on a disproportionate amount of quotes from the British Gay News and other UK publications. This is of course understandable, as it was originally published in the UK. But I recalled many other U.S. publications not referenced that hold a bounty of other stronger quotes and excerpts. Also, the few fiction quotes seem out of place.

The last section, 'The Homintern' focuses on quotes by gay male artists of all kinds, and includes letter excerpts with some fascinating details. Altogether, this is a handy guide to that provides a broad array of sources for more scholarly work, while also being readable to anyone interested in gay male culture through history.

[Isaac Aguilera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many recent events in Queer history have made this book dated, but the information I found here is hard to come by any other way. It's a great yet dense read for anyone interested in the development of queer culture through the ages.

[Joanna]

Very short snippets from gay literature but very satisfying. A good place to find books of interest or to just get an overview of how homosexuality was thought of during a time or a place.

[Edward Amato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history and coverage up to early 1990s

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different life of Gay men and more!