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Why We Never Danced the Charleston
The homosexual love affair between Hirsch Hess, the son of Jewish immigrants, and Ned Grimske, the member of an aristocratic Christian family, sets off scandal and tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1923
151 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 15, 2014
I suppose there are various levels of writing and gay themed writing is no different. Most gay novels are disposable judging by what's on offer in the Kindle store and there is nothing wrong with that. Even Agatha Christie never stated that she was writing literature just entertainment. I have heard it referred to as `chewing gum for the mind'.
Harlan Greene does not write `chewing gum for the mind'. His works do not border the entertainment category. I doubt they were written with that in mind. His motive seems to be to assess the human condition and in particular some distinct aspects of the gay man's disposition using the medium of the novel. That sounds a bit pretentious but it could be used to distinguish the story tellers from the literature writers. This book is literature. Every line of it.
Capote wrote once that journalism goes from left to right - from the beginning to the end of a story. Literature on the other hand goes from North to South in that it goes deeper and deeper into the persons or the situation. That situation may be very limited but still it is mined. The plot of this book is fairly straight forward and, like a lot of timeless classics, can be explained but not explored in a few lines. It concerns a small group of `gay' men in 1920's Charleston. I use the word `gay' carefully because the men themselves would be reluctant to describe themselves as such. That word didn't exist then - or had very different connotations. They weren't exactly sure what they were and couldn't explain why they were attracted to some men and not others. Every step they took had to be careful. They had to keep a respectful façade at all costs.
The object of the narrator's lust and desire is Hirsch Hess, a Jewish man who just melts hearts no matter where he goes. He is attractive and can have anyone he wants despite his moods. His parents however suffered persecution in Europe in a pogrom and had to flee to the US - much against their will. Their melancholy approach to life and the weight of their personal history is passed on to their son who they hope will one day give them the grandchildren they desperately want to pass on the family name. Hess knows all about persecution. He's been living with it by proxy all his life. There is a pivotal part of the story when Hess finally makes the connection between his parent's persecution and his own and that is when the story changes, and everyone else in it. Ned Grimke becomes the object of Hess's love, but it is a love that he does not understand or even want. He becomes a different person when he is with Ned but he does not know who that person is. Ned is an artist and sees nothing wrong with the way he is and can't understand Hess's behaviour at all. Grimke is also hated by the narrator who had a sexual relationship with Hess before he fell for Ned. Their souls never met however just their bodies. That was fine with Hess.
The internalised homophobia of the main characters is well developed in the plot. It is one of the reasons that they try to keep away from Ned Grimke. If people look at him and guess he is `one of those men who cruise for men at night (a moon lover)' down at the Battery, then maybe they will assume everyone who is even seen with Ned is guilty by association. Appearance and face are everything in 1920's South Carolina and they just cannot take that chance. Indoors - well that's a different matter. In a strangely ironic way even while the men are meeting in an illicit bar 'The Alley' they all refuse to dance the Charleston because it is associated with black people and to do so would be grossly insulting to their families. Yet they are all gay men in an illegal gay bar. They do not see the parallel. The Charleston might break out but they never would.
The book is beautifully written (and I use that word deliberately) with nearly every line having something that can be remembered.
`A white curtain waved out the window of the derelict building like a flag of surrender'.
Actually that line reminds me of the murdered family they all discover while searching for articles for the museum. A black man and a white woman with their child. The neighbours are unconcerned. It is passed off as a suicide but no one is convinced.
`They're not like us. It shouldn't be. Not natural.'
The parallel is not lost on the men.
If you read a lot of light gay themed books it would do you no harm indeed to turn to this one to experience by proxy the lives and the times of men who lived in shadows, were hated by themselves and society and half lived their lives. This was nearly all gay men before the second world war by the way. You might also try `The Evening Crowd at Kirmsers' and `Hold Tight' both very well written and researched.
Harlan Greene does not write `chewing gum for the mind'. His works do not border the entertainment category. I doubt they were written with that in mind. His motive seems to be to assess the human condition and in particular some distinct aspects of the gay man's disposition using the medium of the novel. That sounds a bit pretentious but it could be used to distinguish the story tellers from the literature writers. This book is literature. Every line of it.
Capote wrote once that journalism goes from left to right - from the beginning to the end of a story. Literature on the other hand goes from North to South in that it goes deeper and deeper into the persons or the situation. That situation may be very limited but still it is mined. The plot of this book is fairly straight forward and, like a lot of timeless classics, can be explained but not explored in a few lines. It concerns a small group of `gay' men in 1920's Charleston. I use the word `gay' carefully because the men themselves would be reluctant to describe themselves as such. That word didn't exist then - or had very different connotations. They weren't exactly sure what they were and couldn't explain why they were attracted to some men and not others. Every step they took had to be careful. They had to keep a respectful façade at all costs.
The object of the narrator's lust and desire is Hirsch Hess, a Jewish man who just melts hearts no matter where he goes. He is attractive and can have anyone he wants despite his moods. His parents however suffered persecution in Europe in a pogrom and had to flee to the US - much against their will. Their melancholy approach to life and the weight of their personal history is passed on to their son who they hope will one day give them the grandchildren they desperately want to pass on the family name. Hess knows all about persecution. He's been living with it by proxy all his life. There is a pivotal part of the story when Hess finally makes the connection between his parent's persecution and his own and that is when the story changes, and everyone else in it. Ned Grimke becomes the object of Hess's love, but it is a love that he does not understand or even want. He becomes a different person when he is with Ned but he does not know who that person is. Ned is an artist and sees nothing wrong with the way he is and can't understand Hess's behaviour at all. Grimke is also hated by the narrator who had a sexual relationship with Hess before he fell for Ned. Their souls never met however just their bodies. That was fine with Hess.
The internalised homophobia of the main characters is well developed in the plot. It is one of the reasons that they try to keep away from Ned Grimke. If people look at him and guess he is `one of those men who cruise for men at night (a moon lover)' down at the Battery, then maybe they will assume everyone who is even seen with Ned is guilty by association. Appearance and face are everything in 1920's South Carolina and they just cannot take that chance. Indoors - well that's a different matter. In a strangely ironic way even while the men are meeting in an illicit bar 'The Alley' they all refuse to dance the Charleston because it is associated with black people and to do so would be grossly insulting to their families. Yet they are all gay men in an illegal gay bar. They do not see the parallel. The Charleston might break out but they never would.
The book is beautifully written (and I use that word deliberately) with nearly every line having something that can be remembered.
`A white curtain waved out the window of the derelict building like a flag of surrender'.
Actually that line reminds me of the murdered family they all discover while searching for articles for the museum. A black man and a white woman with their child. The neighbours are unconcerned. It is passed off as a suicide but no one is convinced.
`They're not like us. It shouldn't be. Not natural.'
The parallel is not lost on the men.
If you read a lot of light gay themed books it would do you no harm indeed to turn to this one to experience by proxy the lives and the times of men who lived in shadows, were hated by themselves and society and half lived their lives. This was nearly all gay men before the second world war by the way. You might also try `The Evening Crowd at Kirmsers' and `Hold Tight' both very well written and researched.
April 3, 2024
(revised to read better, but not altered, in April 2024).
I would highly recommend the review by Joseph Oliver of this novel for a proper in depth analysis of this novel it is, like all of his reviews, exceptionally fine and intelligent. There is no point in my repeating or attempting to match such an intelligent review. What I will say is that I read this novel not long after it first came out and, long after I had forgotten its title and author the novel remained in my memory as an exceptional reading experience which is why the rediscovery of both the novel and the author was such a pleasure - even if it did take quite awhile before I actually was able to acquire a copy.
Harlan Green is a very fine writer and his novels show up the efforts of Truman Capote in 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' (and other efforts) to write using the tropes of moonlight and magnolia and southern gothic as bogus posturing without any real truth because they are a set of clothes he has put on in order to present himself to the New York literary world as a specific 'type', the scion of decayed pillared mansions on a ruined southern plantation. Capote ends up as purveyor of clichés but he was a New York 'Literary' sensation - so he is remembered and lauded and Greene, who has spent his life living and working outside of New York is unknown.
But he is a finer novelist and has written a beautiful first novel about 'queers' (you cannot call them 'gays' as they would not have recognised or understood the concept) in Charleston, South Carolina, in the 1920s. It is a tale of love and tragedy but also of the stifling conformity and internalized homophobia of those who clung to the tawdry provincial respectability of their second rate 'first families' and the huge lies and hypocrisies that circumscribed ever part of their existence. It was a theme Greene would return to in his later novel 'What The Dead Remember'.
I have to pause here to comment on the problem some reviewers have found in the honest portrayal of the unthinking racism and prejudice that is not simply part of but all pervasive in the characters world view and attitudes. To be clear there is nothing glamorous nor is there any attempt at justifying or special pleading. There is not even a great deal of it, but it is abundantly clear that the author is portraying a society and culture where the pre-eminence of the white over the black is absolute and unthinking. They are the helots of this land and without any real right except that granted by the tolerance given by association with a powerful white person or family. It is everywhere, unthinking and absolute. It is revolting but to present it as otherwise would be dishonest. You don't prettify the past because it upsets you. That is a lie.
This is a really fine novel because it is honest and the reality is that the past, all our pasts were often ugly and uncomfortable - but my goodness what stories, what characters, passions, hatreds, loathing love and despair - this is reality and if you live on and learn from 'reality tv' then it will probably be too strong a mixture. I think he is a wonderful writer and I intend to buy and read everything he has written.
As an afterthought I believe there may be more 'truth' about the lives of queer men in places like Charleston in the past then is often recognized in Harlan Greene's writing. He lives and grew up there and in Savannah, another southern city of clichés, but he knows how those cities worked and how those inbred little local elites worked and survived. As a novelist who was also a historian Harlan Greene may be telling us more then we realize.
I would highly recommend the review by Joseph Oliver of this novel for a proper in depth analysis of this novel it is, like all of his reviews, exceptionally fine and intelligent. There is no point in my repeating or attempting to match such an intelligent review. What I will say is that I read this novel not long after it first came out and, long after I had forgotten its title and author the novel remained in my memory as an exceptional reading experience which is why the rediscovery of both the novel and the author was such a pleasure - even if it did take quite awhile before I actually was able to acquire a copy.
Harlan Green is a very fine writer and his novels show up the efforts of Truman Capote in 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' (and other efforts) to write using the tropes of moonlight and magnolia and southern gothic as bogus posturing without any real truth because they are a set of clothes he has put on in order to present himself to the New York literary world as a specific 'type', the scion of decayed pillared mansions on a ruined southern plantation. Capote ends up as purveyor of clichés but he was a New York 'Literary' sensation - so he is remembered and lauded and Greene, who has spent his life living and working outside of New York is unknown.
But he is a finer novelist and has written a beautiful first novel about 'queers' (you cannot call them 'gays' as they would not have recognised or understood the concept) in Charleston, South Carolina, in the 1920s. It is a tale of love and tragedy but also of the stifling conformity and internalized homophobia of those who clung to the tawdry provincial respectability of their second rate 'first families' and the huge lies and hypocrisies that circumscribed ever part of their existence. It was a theme Greene would return to in his later novel 'What The Dead Remember'.
I have to pause here to comment on the problem some reviewers have found in the honest portrayal of the unthinking racism and prejudice that is not simply part of but all pervasive in the characters world view and attitudes. To be clear there is nothing glamorous nor is there any attempt at justifying or special pleading. There is not even a great deal of it, but it is abundantly clear that the author is portraying a society and culture where the pre-eminence of the white over the black is absolute and unthinking. They are the helots of this land and without any real right except that granted by the tolerance given by association with a powerful white person or family. It is everywhere, unthinking and absolute. It is revolting but to present it as otherwise would be dishonest. You don't prettify the past because it upsets you. That is a lie.
This is a really fine novel because it is honest and the reality is that the past, all our pasts were often ugly and uncomfortable - but my goodness what stories, what characters, passions, hatreds, loathing love and despair - this is reality and if you live on and learn from 'reality tv' then it will probably be too strong a mixture. I think he is a wonderful writer and I intend to buy and read everything he has written.
As an afterthought I believe there may be more 'truth' about the lives of queer men in places like Charleston in the past then is often recognized in Harlan Greene's writing. He lives and grew up there and in Savannah, another southern city of clichés, but he knows how those cities worked and how those inbred little local elites worked and survived. As a novelist who was also a historian Harlan Greene may be telling us more then we realize.
March 28, 2019
A fascinating work of fiction inspired by the author's investigation of archival materials in Charleston, South Carolina. I appreciated reading a book featuring queer characters who weren't in New York or San Francisco. I also found Greene's use of fact to inform a fictional story very inspiring, and his afterword explaining his process was invaluable. His decision to tell the story from a single first-person quasi-omnipresent narrator (sneaking around to catch all the private details of other characters) struck me as odd and sometimes confusing. I would have preferred multiple narrators or just a third-person omniscient perspective to make it less confusing.
July 2, 2017
Today, the United States lives in an age where Pride is lauded as a large tourist attraction for cities and where same-sex couples cannot be banned from marrying their partners. However, in this day in age many forgot the struggles that LGBTQA members had faced in America not a century ago. Why We Never Danced the Charleston by Harlan Greene is one narrative that shows readers the struggles that LGBTQA members faced not long ago.
This novel revolves around Ned Grimke and Hess Hirsch, a tragic relationship the reader knows shall end in heartbreak from the first page. Through the eyes of a mingling narrator, we see the couple come together and then be ripped apart by internalized and external homophobia. Set in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1920's, the reader can learn about the underground homosexual male scene. Through the discovery of the Peacock Lounge, a bar patronized by homosexual men, the narrator meets Hess Hirsch, a man with an eternal burden to live up to his Jewish parents expectations of him, and sets on a destructive relationship fueled by pent-up desire. Then, when the relationship starts to unravel, Hirsch sets his sights on Ned Grimke instead and their dynamic and fiery narrative begins.
Harlan Greene, the author, is a gay man that lives in Charleston, SC and has done extensive research on the time period and location in order to create an accurate depiction of what gay men would face in that time period and place. While this book does not end happily, it does serve as a reminder to the struggles of internalized and external homophobia in America. Amongst a picturesque city, we see the everyday struggles of those that had to live as outsiders in their own community because of who they loved.
One drawback was that Hirsch's internalized homophobia purely stemmed from his Judaism. His parents became just 2D figures hovering over Hirsch's head that desired for their son to get married, have children, and continue the Jewish tradition instead of legitimate people with their own dreams and ambitions. All other characters in the novel referred to Hirsch as "the Jew" and Hirsch, in turn, viewed himself only as a tortured Jew that needed to continue the Jewish line to please his parents and his ancestors. In conclusion, the inclusion of the family's religion is only used as a plot device to make Hirsch self-flagellating and not as a way to show diversity in homosexual men and their stories. While pleasing one's parents is a reason why many men were internally homophobic, the way this character was written portrays that Judaism is the cause of this homophobia and nothing else.
However, this is a well-written book that portrays a time in American history where homosexual men had to hide in the shadows and compromise their happiness for safety. In an era where many freedoms have been rightfully bestowed on LGBTQA members, it's important to read about and remember times when those freedoms were not available and I recommend this book to all that need to be reminded of such. Only after the past is remembered can we truly dance the Charleston.
This novel revolves around Ned Grimke and Hess Hirsch, a tragic relationship the reader knows shall end in heartbreak from the first page. Through the eyes of a mingling narrator, we see the couple come together and then be ripped apart by internalized and external homophobia. Set in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1920's, the reader can learn about the underground homosexual male scene. Through the discovery of the Peacock Lounge, a bar patronized by homosexual men, the narrator meets Hess Hirsch, a man with an eternal burden to live up to his Jewish parents expectations of him, and sets on a destructive relationship fueled by pent-up desire. Then, when the relationship starts to unravel, Hirsch sets his sights on Ned Grimke instead and their dynamic and fiery narrative begins.
Harlan Greene, the author, is a gay man that lives in Charleston, SC and has done extensive research on the time period and location in order to create an accurate depiction of what gay men would face in that time period and place. While this book does not end happily, it does serve as a reminder to the struggles of internalized and external homophobia in America. Amongst a picturesque city, we see the everyday struggles of those that had to live as outsiders in their own community because of who they loved.
One drawback was that Hirsch's internalized homophobia purely stemmed from his Judaism. His parents became just 2D figures hovering over Hirsch's head that desired for their son to get married, have children, and continue the Jewish tradition instead of legitimate people with their own dreams and ambitions. All other characters in the novel referred to Hirsch as "the Jew" and Hirsch, in turn, viewed himself only as a tortured Jew that needed to continue the Jewish line to please his parents and his ancestors. In conclusion, the inclusion of the family's religion is only used as a plot device to make Hirsch self-flagellating and not as a way to show diversity in homosexual men and their stories. While pleasing one's parents is a reason why many men were internally homophobic, the way this character was written portrays that Judaism is the cause of this homophobia and nothing else.
However, this is a well-written book that portrays a time in American history where homosexual men had to hide in the shadows and compromise their happiness for safety. In an era where many freedoms have been rightfully bestowed on LGBTQA members, it's important to read about and remember times when those freedoms were not available and I recommend this book to all that need to be reminded of such. Only after the past is remembered can we truly dance the Charleston.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2019
Somehow, I didn't realize until I started reading this book that this was actually my second read of it. Just as good as the first time! Though, I do think it meant a little more to me this time given that I am a little older and am much more familiar with the areas of SC (Charleston) and Georgia (Savannah) the story takes place in. A great book from a SC author.
March 5, 2025
Super immersive tale of the gay experience in early 20th century South Carolina. Though the book was pretty short, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment in it. Full transparency, I did read this for a class, but I found it really fascinating and I’d totally recommend it outside of an academic context. In our discussion, people were dogging on the narrator, which is fair, since he was quite petty and projected his insecurities onto those around him, but I found it somewhat relatable. The immense jealousy that he felt feels somewhat reasonable when you think about how dark his future seems, and to seemingly have his one chance at salvation ripped from his hands (though not maliciously) by a kid from his childhood seems like it would be enough to make most people crack! It definitely doesn’t excuse his actions, but I feel a lot more sympathy towards him than it seemed like most of my (non gay male) peers did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2024
sometimes assigned reading is really impactful but because of the erotic elements i would’ve taken seriously in a different environment with mature classmates and more open professors.
the prose is extremely beautiful and all the great gothic elements i love to see in a novel about my hometown.
however its clunky at times with a weirdly placed narrative who’s outsider perspective that becomes less relatable and more whiny and self absorbed.
this chunk of history is so important that i think the unlikeable narrator (idc if that was purposeful it wasn’t enjoyable) can be looked over for a suspenseful sexy and shameful short story.
the prose is extremely beautiful and all the great gothic elements i love to see in a novel about my hometown.
however its clunky at times with a weirdly placed narrative who’s outsider perspective that becomes less relatable and more whiny and self absorbed.
this chunk of history is so important that i think the unlikeable narrator (idc if that was purposeful it wasn’t enjoyable) can be looked over for a suspenseful sexy and shameful short story.
April 30, 2025
I came across this book after reading the author's book on the LGBT+ history of Charleston, SC, which educated me on the characters of 'Why We Never Danced the Charleston.' They were perfect to read together, as I soon realized how many of these characters were informed by real-life Charlestonians living during the Charleston Renaissance. I'm giving this 5/5 stars for providing a gay storyline outside of a major city and recognizing the existence of subcultures in the shadows long before the Gay Rights Movement. Additionally, Greene's prose bring old Charleston to life. I enjoyed this title a little better than I did his 'What the Dead Remember.'
September 12, 2018
Really interesting blend of fact and fiction. Beautifully and lovingly written, and I loved the descriptions of queer folk as "moon lovers". Even in 1985 when this book was written, and in 1920 when it takes place, the moon was a noted lesbian.
That said, I know that it's the turn of the century in the deep south, but all the unchallenged racism got me down. There were a couple nods to the injustices that black people face, and a sympathetically painted interracial couple, but the rest was... a lot. "Well, it's normal for the era that it was set in." Yeah well it also made me sad.
Don't go into this one expecting a happy ending. But it was very thoughtful with lovely prose, and I loved getting to read the author's insights at the end.
That said, I know that it's the turn of the century in the deep south, but all the unchallenged racism got me down. There were a couple nods to the injustices that black people face, and a sympathetically painted interracial couple, but the rest was... a lot. "Well, it's normal for the era that it was set in." Yeah well it also made me sad.
Don't go into this one expecting a happy ending. But it was very thoughtful with lovely prose, and I loved getting to read the author's insights at the end.
February 22, 2019
This is a beautifully written book. The narrator tells the story of two lovers and his involvement with them in the bacchanalian atmosphere of 1920’s Charleston when homosexuality was a crime and the ultimate taboo.
May 18, 2024
1/5. I hate to give a lackluster review, especially to a local Charleston author, but this book was not for me. Homosexuality and romance? Cool cool. Suicide and orgies?! I’m out. One star for the book club book with one chapter…...🙈
June 26, 2018
Gay, gothic, Southern fiction - not my favorite
August 15, 2019
One of the loveliest, saddest love stories that I've ever read.
July 29, 2020
Southern-Gothic-gay-tragedy at its finest? I bought a used copy for $2 at the Bureau of General Services: Queer Division based solely on the James Purdy praise emblazoning the back cover. The book feels like a spiritual sibling to Purdy’s Narrow Rooms in a lot of ways: central to both texts are the ideas of the grotesque, gays as both conniving by nature and “damned”, somewhat gross sentimentality, ignoble suffering, and raunchy, degrading sex. It’s little wonder that books like this and Purdy’s get relegated to “cult classics” while the more stiff-upper-lip writings fill out the queer literary canon.
And I KNOW that the casual racism contained in the novel is period-specific and on point, but it still nagged at my cringing millennial mindset. Add half of a star if that sort of thing doesn’t bother you.
And I KNOW that the casual racism contained in the novel is period-specific and on point, but it still nagged at my cringing millennial mindset. Add half of a star if that sort of thing doesn’t bother you.
November 26, 2024
Though it has been years since I read Why We Never Danced the Charleston, it has rambled about the alleyways of my brain ever since. Greene's novel of an elderly man's reminiscence takes the reader to the Charleston, SC of the 1920s to uncover the truth of some dark, unspoken of event. It is a love story of Grimke, old stock Charleston, and another young man, the son of immigrants. From the early mornings in the duck blinds to the midnight trysts along the Battery, this is a gorgeously written story of coming of age in one if the most beautiful cities in American, during one of the most vibrant eras of the 20th century. One of the beauties of Jazz era Charleston is its rootedness in tradition, a beauty though while entrancing to Grimke, and the reader, spells doom for his love affair.
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