LGBTQIA: Gay Fiction & Literature

Maurice is a student at Cambridge in the early 1900s who discovers, despite his social status and predictable career expectations, he is altogether unpredictably homosexual. Written in 1913 but not published until 1971, Maurice is shockingly modern and upfront; a tale of awareness, loss, and ultimately love.

A single day in the life of George, a college English professor in 1960s Los Angeles, as he copes with the sudden death of his lover. George is wry, witty and, although cynical, ultimately positive as he seeks a way to connect with a life that is trying to leave him behind. 

Gustav von Aschenbach, a middle-age German writer in the early 1900s, travels to Venice alone on a meditative journey that becomes a life-altering infatuation/obsession with a young boy. This study of self-hate vs. the pursuit of happiness is also notable for the Michael Cunningham introduction on the subtleties of translation in the Michael Henry Heim edition.

Maggie struggles to keep her marriage together and inheritance intact, while husband Brick drinks to forget the failed love of an old football teammate. Williams' scene notes and unusual characterization of patriarch Big Daddy's unconditional love for his son in the 1950s American south makes reading this play more rewarding than watching the sanitized Newman/Taylor film.

David is a young American living in 1950s Paris, retreating from his fiancée and discovering homosexual love with Italian bartender Giovanni. Daring and bald-faced, this novel is written with such a modern tone, it could be set in current-day West Hollywood.

Matthew and Daniel’s domestic bliss is shattered when Daniel’s brother and sister-in-law are killed in a Jerusalem bombing. The couple is thrust into parenthood when they learn that they have been named the surviving children’s guardians.

In this fictionalized account of his time in Weimar Berlin, Isherwood introduces characters who would later be made famous by the play, I Am a Camera, and the Broadway musical and film, Cabaret. The stories are also vivid pictures of attitudes and political inclinations leading to the rise of Nazi Germany.

When Adrien's friend turns up dead in an alley the morning after a loud public argument, Adrien becomes the prime suspect, but he may be the killer's next victim.

74-year-old Barrington, Barry for short, is tired of living with his bitter wife. When Barry’s old friend and lover, Morris, asks Barry to move in with him, Barry must rectify his ideas of masculinity with his flamboyant persona.

Burroughs' autobiographical novel depicts the tumultuous period of his life after the accidental shooting death of his wife, Joan. The protagonist, William, is withdrawing from heroin while obsessing over his reluctant lover, Eugene, in 1940s Mexico City.

In 1954 San Francisco, Pearlie is devoted to caring for her ailing husband and polio-stricken son. When her husband's former lover shows up at their home, Pearlie is forced to make some painful decisions.

Constantine Cavafy's poetry is classical, beautiful, elegant and erotic, and he never shies away from his own sexuality as the subject.

The anthology of poems and poets is divided into three sections: Pre-Stonewall Poets (pre - 1970); Stonewall - First Diagnosis of AIDS Poets (1970 - 1981); AIDS Diagnosis - Brandon Teena's Death Poets (1982 - 1993).

Jed, middle-class, black and gay in 1980s' Chicago, hopes to find freedom and acceptance in Berlin, as did William Bradshaw in Christopher Isherwood's Berlin Stories. Darryl Pinckney's writing style and plot structure weave stream of consciousness, reflection and critical commentary, into a uniquely modern story.

Originally from Morocco, Abdellah Taïa lives in France and is among a small group of openly gay Arabic writers. Infidels portrays the harsh life of a mother and son who are among the outcasts of a structured religious society, and how the limits force people to take desperate measures.

When first performed, this play was controversial in many different communities, both straight and gay.

This book was censored for twelve years by the government of Burma (now Myanmar). The story centers around the Taungbyon Festival, and Daisy Bond, a gay spiritual medium, who is part of the festivities.

Myanmar

A tale of love found and lost across time and space, following a pair of WWII lovers separated by a military experiment gone awry. It is also the story of a lonely London bookdealer on a quest to unravel the mystery of the lovers uncovered by the notes they left for each other in books.

Sixteen stories by LGBTQIA men and women, which provide a historical perspective and testimony for people of all ages.

Two friends decide to leave their native Albania and take their chances in Rome, Italy. Bujar has lost his father, and Agim is contending with his gender identity and sexuality. Finding comfort and peace in one's own body can be as onerous and complex as finding a home in another country. Statovci's lyrical writing style magnifies the complexity of those who are excluded by a culture or by its conventions.

A coming-of-age story about an adolescent boy coming to terms with his sexuality. A six-week encounter, at the family's villa on the Italian Riviera, changes the lives of the adolescent and an adult guest.

Set in the hills of Montana, two cowboys working as herders share a cabin, where a sexual relationship develops that evolves into a very deep friendship.

This debut novel takes an outrageous idea: what if a romance developed between the First Son Of The United States and one of Great Britain’s Royal Princes, and runs with it full tilt! Imagine a fairy tale, with two princes, and a very happy ending. It was the perfect summer/beach read, it is also an enjoyable read for any time of the year!

Wallace is a gay black man from Alabama, who is a graduate student at a Midwestern university. He feels isolated and his work is overtly threatened by a another student. The novel is a Lambda 2021 finalist.

A sequel to Conventionally Yours, and the world of Odyssey gamers and conventions plus cosplay, and the reutrn of Jasper, a supporting charater. The focus this time is on Milo Lionetti who is struggling to find himself, and on his journey of self-realization he reconnects and makes amends with Jasper. Out of Character is another round of nerdy fun for those looking for a bit of romance!

These poems speak beautifully to Brown, Queer, Trans people and to others, so as to create connections of understanding and harmony.