James Henry Hammond & Thomas Jefferson Withers

James Henry Hammond (November 15, 1807 – November 13, 1864) typified the aristocratic Southern gentleman politician before the Civil War. He served as a Congressman from 1835 to 1836, and then as Governor of South Carolina from 1842 to 1844. He was elected to the US Senate in 1856 and served until the outbreak of the war between the states. On March 4, 1858 he made his famous “King Cotton” speech: “You dare not make war on cotton—no power on earth dares make war upon it. Cotton is King.”

As a young man, Hammond had a passionate love affair with another young gentleman, Thomas Jefferson Withers (1804 – November 7, 1865). Their correspondence reveals the playful nature of their relationship. A letter from Withers to Hammond dated May 15, 1826, includes the line: “I feel some inclination to learn whether you yet sleep in your Shirt-tail and whether you yet have the extravagant delight of poking and punching a writhing Bedfellow with your long fleshen pole—the exquisite touches of which I have often had the honor of feeling?” The letter is signed “With great respect I am the old Stud, Jeff.”

The letters, which are housed among the Hammond Papers at the South Caroliniana Library, were first published by researcher Martin Duberman in 1981, and are remarkable for being rare documentary evidence of same-sex relationships in the antebellum United States.

Stern, Keith (2009-09-01). Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals (Kindle Locations 5897-5904). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.

( Further Readings )

John A. Avant (September 1, 1945 - November 13, 1993)

John A. Avant was a librarian who contributed reviews to Gaysweek and wrote for The New Republic, among others.

John Alfred Avant, former fiction librarian and lecturer at the Main Brooklyn Library on Grand Army Plaza, died on November 13, 1993, at his home in Manhattan. He was 48.

The cause was AIDS-related illness, said his companion, David Allen.

Under Mr. Avant's guidance, the library's fiction collection became one of the largest in the country. He led taped monthly book discussions until 1992.

He was born in Fleahop, Ala., on Sept. 1, 1945.

In 1968, after graduating from Emory University in Atlanta with a Master's of Library Science, he joined the Brooklyn library in 1968. He was named Fiction Librarian in 1974.

He also wrote for The New Republic; reviewed films and fiction for Gaysweek, and was a columnist on pay television for CableVision magazine.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/17/obituaries/john-a-avant-librarian-48.html

( Further Readings )

Karen Silkwood (February 19, 1946 – November 13, 1974)

Karen Silkwood was a worker at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant in Oklahoma during the 1970s. In testimony before the Atomic Energy Commission in the summer of 1974, she accused the company of numerous safety breaches. Soon afterward, she found that her home had been mysteriously contaminated with plutonium. She herself was dangerously contaminated, as was her girlfriend/roommate Sherry Ellis.

Silkwood believed that the company was trying to silence her by poisoning her with plutonium. She assembled a stack of documents corroborating her claims and was on her way to meet a newspaper reporter when she was killed in a mysterious automobile accident. No documents were found in the wreck.

The incident became the basis of the 1983 movie Silkwood, starring Meryl Streep. Cher portrayed Sherry Ellis and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Her family sued Kerr-McGee on behalf of her estate. In what was the longest trial up until then in Oklahoma history, the jury found Kerr-McGee liable for the plutonium contamination of Silkwood, and awarded substantial damages. These were reduced on appeal, but the case reached the United States Supreme Court in 1979, which upheld the damages verdict. Before another trial took place, Kerr-McGee settled with the estate out of court for US $1.38 million, while not admitting liability.

Stern, Keith (2009-09-01). Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals (Kindle Locations 10960-10967). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.

( Further Readings )

Saki (December 18, 1870 – November 13, 1916)

Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 13 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki, and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirised Edwardian society and culture. He is considered a master of the short story and often compared to O. Henry and Dorothy Parker. Influenced by Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Kipling, he himself influenced A. A. Milne, Noël Coward, and P. G. Wodehouse. (Picture: Saki by E.O. Hoppe, 1913)

Beside his short stories (which were first published in newspapers, as was customary at the time, and then collected into several volumes), he wrote a full-length play, The Watched Pot, in collaboration with Charles Maude; two one-act plays; a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire, the only book published under his own name; a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington; the episodic The Westminster Alice (a Parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland), and When William Came, subtitled A Story of London Under the Hohenzollerns, a fantasy about a future German invasion of Britain.

The name Saki may be a reference to the cupbearer in the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam, a poem mentioned disparagingly by the eponymous character in "Reginald on Christmas Presents" and alluded to in a few other stories. (This is stated as fact by Emlyn Williams in his 1978 introduction to a Saki anthology) It may, however, be a reference to the South American primate of the same name, "a small, long-tailed monkey from the Western Hemisphere" that is a central character in "The Remoulding of Groby Lington"

( read more... )

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saki

Saki wrote what’s possibly the best short story in the history of the universe. ‘The Unrest Cure’ is funny, anarchic, irreverent, and deeply politically incorrect. If Clovis Sangrail (a regular in Saki’s short stories) isn’t gay I’ll eat my hat. And I suspect Reginald (another one of his regularly featured characters) isn’t far behind I’ll eat Saki’s hat, too. Writing at the turn of the twentieth century, this author would have had to tread very carefully in his depictions of the wearers of the green carnation. I think he’s done it brilliantly. --Charlie Cochrane

( Further Readings )

Damon Galgut (born 12 November 1963)

Damon Galgut (born 12 November 1963) is an award-winning South African playwright and novelist.

Galgut was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1963. His family, of European stock, had strong ties to the South African judiciary. When he was six years old, Galgut was diagnosed with cancer, a trauma which he has described as "the central, cataclysmic event of my life". He fell very ill, and spent long stretches of his childhood in hospital. His love of storytelling developed at this time as he lay convalescing in his hospital bed, listening to relatives reading stories to him.

Galgut studied drama at the University of Cape Town. He was only 17 when his debut novel, A Sinless Season, was published. His battle with cancer was given fictional form in his next book, a collection of short stories called Small Circle of Beings (1988). The Beautiful Screaming of Pigs (1991) won the CNA Prize, South Africa’s leading literary award. The Quarry (1995) was made into a feature film, which went on to win prizes on the international film festival circuit.

( Read more... )

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_Galgut

Further Readings:

In a Strange Room by Damon Galgut
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Europa Editions; 1 edition (October 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1609450116
ISBN-13: 978-1609450113
Amazon: In a Strange Room
Amazon Kindle: In a Strange Room

A finalist for the 2010 Man Booker Prize

In this newest novel from South African writer Damon Galgut, a young loner travels across eastern Africa, Europe, and India. Unsure what he's after, and reluctant to return home, he follows the paths of travelers he meets along the way. Treated as a lover, a follower, a guardian, each new encounter-with an enigmatic stranger, a group of careless backpackers, a woman on the verge-leads him closer to confronting his own identity. Traversing the quiet of wilderness and the frenzy of border crossings, every new direction is tinged with surmounting mourning, as he is propelled toward a tragic conclusion.

In a Strange Room is a brilliant, stylish novel of anger and compassion, longing and thwarted desire, and a hauntingly beautiful evocation of life on the road. First published in The Paris Review in three parts, one of which was selected for a National Magazine Award, and another for the O. Henry Prize, In a Strange Room was shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize.

More Spotlights at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Lists/Gay Novels

Rainbow Awards pre-party and 7th anniversary (Day 13)

November 2013 marks the 7th anniversary since I opened my first journal (and yes, I have an itch, but I will scratch it!), on LJ, and the 5th anniversary of the Rainbow Awards. So, of course I decided for a big bash party. 188 authors, all of them in the 2013 Rainbow Awards, have donated or an ebook, or a print book, and I will use them for a Treasure Hunt. Every day, for all November, I will post 6 excerpts (a random page of the book). No reference to title, or author, or publisher. You have to match it with the book ;-) comment on the blog (do not leave anonymous comments, if you post as anonymous, leave a contact email (comments are screened)), you can comment 1 time for more matchings (you can even try for all 6 books if you like, so 6 chances to win every day). Until the end I will not say which matching is right, so you will have ALL month to try. No limit on how many books you can win, the more you try the better chance you have to win. End of November, among the right matchings, I will draw the winners. So now? let the game start!

Be aware that these previous excerpts: 11, 23, 25, 62 have not yet been matched, so if you go back there is good chance to win them!

The books are (Author - Title - Format of prize):

( The books are (Author - Title - Format of prize) )

Previous Post: http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/3923891.html

Today excerpts are:

( Today excerpts are )