In Another Part of the Forest:: An Anthology of Gay Short Fiction

In the mid-1990s there was a plethora of gay and lesbian literary anthologies and this one was by far one of the best gay-themed ones in terms of literary quality, gathering fiction by gay and non-gay writers that might have otherwise been forgotten or overlooked. I note, for example, the superb Isaac Bashevis Singer story, "Two," which is not included in Singer's "Collected Stories," Graham Greene's "May We Borrow Your Husband?" which deserves a wider exposure, and Daphne DuMaurier's "Ganymede," which essentially covers the same ground as Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice," -- about an elderly gentleman and a young man in Venice -- albeit here with a different outcome. While this anthology can't and doesn't reveal the breadth and diversity and originality of modern gay fiction -- what anthology can? -- it is nonetheless chock full of other classic short stories that deserve to be read and re-read, including Sherwood Anderson's "Hands," John Cheever's "Clancy in the Tower of Babel," Tennessee Williams's "The Mysteries of the Joy Rio," Truman Capote's "A Diamond Guitar," and Allan Gurganus's "Minor Heroism. Among my favorites in this anthology are Alice Munro's "The Turkey Season," about a young girl working as a turkey gutter, and William Trevor's "Torridge," about a school boy's revenge.

This collection of short stories is extraordinary. Unlike other anthologies of gay male fiction, In Another Part of the Forest features work by men and women, gay and straight. English and American fiction dominate but there are also selections by Canadian and Australian writers, and a handful of translated works (from Spanish, French, Japanese, Russian, and Yiddish). The effect is a multi-dimensional book that has true moral value. Modern gay identity can only be understood as kaleidoscopic, always shifting, never reduceable to a single ghettoized form. Yet most gay male short fiction anthologies offer up stories exclusively from the perspective of the gay male author. By illuminating the gay experience not only from within but also from the perspective of the outside observer, Manguel and Stephenson seem to be suggesting that to be gay is also to be part of the wider sphere of being human. So alongside works by the closeted E. M. Forster and the very uncloseted Edmund White, we also have superb selections by Sherwood Anderson and Alice Munro and Issac Bashevis Singer. Another highlight is a lusciously sexy (of course) piece by D. H. Lawrence. The editors also include works from the sci-fi realm, as well as one great crime thriller piece (Marco Denevi's "Michel.") Perhaps the main link between these works is that they are all examples of excellent writing. Most important, however, is the profoundly ethical dimension to this book, in which all the gay men featured do not come off as heroes or victims (some are downright cads), an editorial choice that means to embrace the entire human community, including gays, as equally flawed, and equally deserving of respect and the right to happiness. For myself, "Contact," by John Lonie, an author I was not familiar with, stands out as the most exhilarating story in the book. In it the author illustrates the poignant challenge and the urgent necessity of Forster's mantra: Only connect. Connecting with people unlike oneself seems to be the most difficult thing there is, yet it is fundamental to our survival. And, as this anthology of glorious writing reminds us, once we connect we may discover that we are not so different from each other after all.

I don't know how Manguel did it. He offers more "variety plus quality" than some or even than many other gay male fiction anthologies. (1) Big and international author-names. Francoise Sagan, Alice Munro, Yukio Mishima, Isaac Basheivis Singer, others.....(2) Nice serving of gay-gay classic writers. E. M. Forster, James Baldwin, Tennessee Williams, James Purdy, Christopher Isherwood, Edmund White, Truman Capote. (And Denton Welch's overlooked but crisp tale "When I Was Thirteen.") (3) Heterosexual American writers. Anderson, O'Hara, Hemingway, oh and John Cheever....(4) But above all, Manguel shares some gems which even I, the inveterate buff of non-porn gay male short fiction, didn't know! "Punchlines," by W. P. Kinsella, efficiently frightens in its portraying the blood-pressure-intense damage when a macho type suppresses his gay side--for a while....."The Cold Wind And The Warm," by Ray Bradbury, is a lyric watercolor of a very-gay contingent wafting into a staid Irish hotel--but everyone survives just fine....My two favorites include "May We Borrow Your Husband?" by Graham Greene. Never was "gay seduction" more crisply portrayed, though the seductee (a young British bridegroom) survives just fine also.....Finally, "Torridge," by William Trevor, re-creates in front of us the chilling, calculated revenge of a harrassed British schoolboy triumphing years later. At a dinner, the formerly-triumphant straight (or at least married) school "chums" and their families, collapse gently and stately like falling dominoes under Torridge's triumph--a scene to behold indeed.Nowadays, yearly series of gay male short stories emerge--good ones, too. But IN ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST carved out an indispensable "woodcut" in this genre; seek it out.

In Another Part of the Forest is a must buy for the Collector of gay literature. Manguel and Stephenson have assembled an anthology of gay short fiction by some of the worlds most reknowned authors that depicts the role of the homosexual in the course of recent history. At times sad and frustrating these stories expose the bigotry and hatred spawned by prejudice.