Gay Voices from East Germany - Softcover

Lemke, Jürgen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0253206308 ISBN 13: 9780253206305

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 1991

Synopsis

"These interviews are wonderful. Extremely interesting and informative about gay life in East Germany." —John C. Fouts

"A fascinating book. As far as I know, it is the first time that working class gays have given us an insight into their lives.... A singular contribution." —George L. Mosse

"Lemke's interviews with 14 gay men, mainly working class, not only encompass a range of gay lifestyles... but reflect almost a century of German history.... Ultimately, love and a steady partnership are upheld as the ideal." —Publishers Weekly

"These narratives provide helpful insight into daily life in the GDR—a state that highly valued conformity—as lived by a minority rarely acknowledged." —Library Journal

"... vividly portray the men's trials, tragedies, and triumphs... these memoirs are engagingly provocative.... will serve as a treasure house for future historians, sociologists, and other researchers." —Lambda Book Report

"Not just gay men, but anyone with a little humanity will find it rewarding to spend a few hours listening to these men." —Hungry Mind Review

"... a rare, intensive glimpse into another community and another culture." —A Different Light Review

"The 14 compelling interviews... chronicle gay male experience prior to the dramatic events of the last two years." —On the Issues

Jürgen Lemke's collection of interviews with East German homosexual men caused a sensation in the East, where it was hailed as "a milestone in the history of homosexual men in the GDR." The book presents sustained portraits of fourteen men from different generations and classes, "in the closet" and out. Together they provide a penetrating view into the lives of gay men in Germany from the time of Hitler until the final year of the separate socialist state.

About this title

Language Notes

Text: English
Original Language: German

From Publishers Weekly

Lemke's interviews with 14 gay men, mainly working class, not only encompass a range of gay lifestyles--from married men leading double lives to men proud of passing as "straight" in military service--but reflect almost a century of German history. The notorious paragraph 175 of the German criminal code subjected gays to concentration camp brutalities, which are vividly described by Erichy (interviewees are identified by their first name only). date? In the mid-1980s, consciousness-raising groups developed under the umbrella of the Lutheran church--too late for Peter, who had been obliged to drop out of his seminary for "coming out." The universality of gay experiences, under communism or capitalism, can be seen in the efforts of Joseph's mother to "cure" his "malicious sickness" through Freudian analysis and in the need of many gays to move from small towns to bigger cities. Some men challenged the system, like Bert, the worker who asked what his youth club did for gay members, only to hear snickering. Ultimately, love and a steady partnership are upheld as the ideal. Lemke is a free-lance writer and dramatist; Borneman is the author of After the Wall: East Meets West in the New Berlin.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0253206308
• ISBN 13: 9780253206305
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208
• Editor: Borneman John