Bøger af Edward Prime-Stevenson

Edward Prime-Stevenson (1858-1942) has been described by one critic as "the first modern gay American author," and his novel Imre: A Memorandum (1906) has been cited as the first openly gay American novel. But fifteen years earlier, Stevenson published another milestone work, Left to Themselves (1891), a young adult novel described by its author as "homosexual in essence," the first such book ever published.

At a cafe in Budapest, Oswald, a British ambassador in his thirties, meets the young, handsome Imre, a Hungarian military officer. The two develop a strong friendship through their shared interest in art, but as their relationship grows more serious, they begin spending hours upon hours sharing their innermost secrets. Eventually, their friendship turns to romance, a partnership between equals who respect and cherish one another despite the obstacles of an intensely homophobic society. Published in a time when homosexuality was largely criminalized, Imre: A Memorandum offered a hopeful narrative immersed in gay history that would prove both inspiring and instructional for generations to come. Imre: A Memorandum is a novel by Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson. Originally published in 1906 and written while Prime-Stevenson was living as an expatriate in Europe, the novel is a ground-breaking, positive story of romance between two men. Throughout his career, Prime-Stevenson sought to dispel falsehoods surrounding the history of homosexuality. Writing under the pseudonym Xavier Mayne, Prime-Stevenson took great care to insulate himself from the reprisal common to the period in which he worked. Despite the initial printing being limited to only 500 copies Prime-Stevenson is now recognized as a pioneering advocate for the rights of the LGBTQI community.

Winner of the 2003 Silver Medal for Gay/Lesbian Fiction, ForeWord Magazine Imre is one of the first openly gay American novels without a tragic ending. Described by the author as "a little psychological romance," the narrative follows two men who meet by chance in a café; in Budapest, where they forge a friendship that leads to a series of mutual revelations and gradual disclosures. With its sympathetic characterizations of homosexual men, Imre's 1906 publication marked a turning point in English literature. This edition includes material relating to the novels origins, contemporary writings on homosexuality, other writings by Prime-Stevenson, and a contemporary review.