Out in the Mountains The Faber Book of Gay Short Fiction edited by Edmund White: A Review. Ernest McLeod The Faber Book of Gay Short Fiction is a recent, voluminous (nearly 600 pages), and worthwhile collection for anyone interested in a broad sampling of gay perspectives by some famous and some not-so-farnous twentieth century writers. The stories, se- lected by Edmund White, vary widely in terms of style, tone, and explicitriess. In some, such as the opening story by Henry James, homosexuality is hinted at but cer- tainly never narned. In others, generally the more contemporary ones, sexuality and sex is depicted with celebratory frankness. The collection is nothing if not eclectic and of- fers an overview of the diversity that exists within gay literature and clues as to how it has evolved over the past ninety or so years. It is satisfying to see a book like this pub- lished by a mainstream press. Perhaps it signals that now is the time when the ho- mosexual voice will be recognized by a wider audience. This seems especially sig- nificant during a time when an incredible number of gay writers are dying. Several of the stories in the collection deal with the AIDS epidemic. I can’t imagine a subject more difficult to write about, especially while we are in the midst of its devastation. On the other hand, it seems nearly irn— possible not to write about it. The stories here are quite different front one another, while at the same time, like all of the sto- ries in the book, they are about struggle and hope, humor and sadness, innocence and loss of it, love, lust, pain, and joy. I read one critic who felt the collection was “uneven” and not “def'iiiitive” as the pub- lisher promises. This may be true. It is un- likely that anyone would like every story. But it’s also hard to imagine anyone inter- ested in investigating gay fiction not being inspired by several writers’ work. Among my discoveries were Denton Welch’s “When I Was Thirteen” and Paul Bailey’s excerpt front his novel Tres- passes. Welch’s story concerns a boy on a Christmas skiing vacation with his brother. When his brother abandons him to go off with friends, the boy is befriended by and becomes infatuated with Archer, a college student whom his brother knows and says is “not very much liked.” What follows is a clumsy skiing and drinking adventure dur- ing which the boy is filled with an innocent lust for Archer. The story is both poignant and funny, with an ending that reveals how easily innocence can be tainted by others’ (in this case the brother’s) ignorance and hatred. The narrator of Bailey’s story has no illu- sions of innocence. The story opens with the declaration, “Welcome to Auntie Ber- nard’s palatial parlour and mind your head J on the chandelier—it hangs low, like all the best things.” Bernard predates the gay liberation movement and has little use for it, just as he suspects those liberated have little use for him. He is very witty, self- loathing and loving at the same time, want- ing to entertain even as he describes his true but tragic romance and his equally wit- ty but rather monstrous mother. When Ber- nard comes out to her, she say’s dis- missively, “It’s plain as a pikestaff, dear. t You were always-—-what’s the expres- sion?—a sensitive plant” Bernard confess- 1 es to the reader that he is “very out of 3 date... And anyway, I always did hate my l kind en masse.” His story is in marked con- ’ trast to others in which characters offer no apologies for their sexuality, and marriages can be declared with no qualifying state- ments. Among the best known authors represented in the collection are E. M. Forster, Chris- topher Isherwood, Gore Vidal, and Ten- nessee Williams. The Williams story, “Two on a Party,” is a hilarious and ul- timately sad story of two aging drunks, Cora and Billy, who travel from city to city , gggg gzlggggg ::§'NESS healing bodywork and energy balancing (ao2)4a4-3432 RESIDENCE I . . . swéuaaaaosu-gsmxm GAIL DeIBlANc0 sensitive to gay and lesbian issues REALTOR” K supportive of people in recovery SSk'Er"iEhkE4‘"“E“ Q” 22 MAIN sr, ..... .. ESSEXJUNCTION, VT 05452 THERESA BACON 425-4079 call for free consultation An Independently Owned and Operated Member ol Coldwelt Banker Residential Aflmates, Inc Janet K. Brown,MA.,C.A_C Jean Townsend, M.A. Licensed Psychologist Certified Mental Certified Alcohol Counselor Health Counselor Josie Juhasz, MA CCMHC Feminist Psychotherapy ' AC%’%A'UI§’/[1:3&N[gJ'l1;YL1(§g§lE5 Indviduals, Couples ét Families Indivi;hI]’aiP§O%:%S%§mi1.eS i Montpelier 5 - Milton. VT Burlington, VT 302-229-5220 °‘“e (802) 893-4816 (802) 863-8162 l -1 .