Between the Acts: Lives of Homosexual Men, 1885-1967. This item is unavailable.Between the Acts: Lives of Homosexual Men, 1885-1967

This is a biographical study of 15 British homosexuals in the period 1885 to 1967, based on extracts from interviews with the men themselves. The men come from a variety of backgrounds, with differing political and social attitudes, yet all experienced the same frustrations, needs and desires.

From 1885 until 1967 all homosexual acts in Britain were illegal and those bold enough to test the limits of the law were either imprisoned (Oscar Wilde) or ostracized (Quentin Crisp). This book chronicles the lives of 15 homosexual men who lived in England during this time and whose stories are drawn from extensive interviews conducted in the late 1970s. The interviewees recount in a series of bittersweet anecdotes what it was like growing up in a repressive society knowing they were different. These 15 separate journeys demonstrate that the road was often bumpy but that the destination was worth reaching. While the absence of lesbians demands another volume devoted to their testimony, there is no denying this is an important oral history text. Recommended for large nonfiction collections.
- Richard Drezen, Merrill Lynch Capital Markets Lib., New York
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.