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Costa Brava
It is July 1936 and the Spanish Civil War is breaking out. Santiago Capmany, a Venezuelan film producer on holiday in a village in Catalonia, is sitting on a seaside bench. Suddenly he is approached for help by a desperate Juan José, a boy on the eve of his 13th birthday whose father, a rightist politician, has just been killed. Juan José is instinctively drawn to put himself in Santiago's hands and love him, as is Santiago to reciprocate, thus initiating their dramatic escape together from the war-torn country.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 10, 2025
Preface: Books that I shelve as 'boy-love' are not simply about men having sex with underage boys but books trying to justify older men who, in an earlier generation, would have been members of or supporters of NAMBLA or any of its confreres in other countries having sexual relations with adolescent or prepubescent boys. In this work and many others the man does not consider himself homosexual and definitely not gay and neither are the boys.
'Costa Brava' is a classic of the 'boy-love' genre and Frits Bernard was one of the great mid-twentieth century advocates of paedophile/pederast relations. There are lots of sites with information out there about him and man/boy love so do some exploring if you are interested. It is almost impossible to understand now that the concept of relations between men and adolescent never mind prepubescent boys was ever given a hearing - but it must be understood within the context that what upset most people at the time was not the age difference but the homosexuality of these relationships. That is why, for example, in the 1982 Gay Sunshine Journal anthology of gay fiction edited by Winston Leyland published this novella in full (and if you want the novel in print that is probably the only you can easily find it).
'Costa Brava' is barely a novella never mind a novel. Anyone expecting pornography will be deeply disappointed, nothing happens, there isn't even any full nudity. It is a rather silly story of how 12 year old Juan Jose is 'saved' by the adult Santiago. The tale of the lonely, friendless, boy 'saved' by the adult pederast is a regular trope of 'boy-love' fiction. It may not be as dramatic as the circumstances as those in 'Costa Brava' but invariably the man 'saves' the 'lost' boy. The result is 'love' and it is always emphasised that the boy is the one who offers and instigates sex.
Do I need to assure you that I know this is all nonsense that a boy may need many things that a man can provide, but the only thing the boy has to offer, is his body, and it is never an exchange between equals.
The interesting thing about 'Costa Brava' is that the relationship between Juan Jose and Santiago is never consummated. They are separated and believe each other dead until they meet again (how they recognise each other is explained but I won't spoil the story) when Juan Jose who is now in his twenties and recently married. The point of the meeting is so that Juan Jose can explain that back when he was 12 he wanted and would have happily slept with Santiago. It is also made clear, and this is the point of the story, that the moment for them to have had sex has passed (Santiago would have said the same) but Juan Jose feels he has missed out, he needed and indeed he believes most boys need, while an adolescent, a relationship with a man like Santiago who are there 'to bring boys into manhood'. The adult Juan Jose feels he has missed something by not having had such a relationship in his adolescence.
The story is cliched, sentimental and, obviously, didactic. Literature may teach us many things but doesn't accomplish this by being any of the above.
'Costa Brava' is a classic of the 'boy-love' genre and Frits Bernard was one of the great mid-twentieth century advocates of paedophile/pederast relations. There are lots of sites with information out there about him and man/boy love so do some exploring if you are interested. It is almost impossible to understand now that the concept of relations between men and adolescent never mind prepubescent boys was ever given a hearing - but it must be understood within the context that what upset most people at the time was not the age difference but the homosexuality of these relationships. That is why, for example, in the 1982 Gay Sunshine Journal anthology of gay fiction edited by Winston Leyland published this novella in full (and if you want the novel in print that is probably the only you can easily find it).
'Costa Brava' is barely a novella never mind a novel. Anyone expecting pornography will be deeply disappointed, nothing happens, there isn't even any full nudity. It is a rather silly story of how 12 year old Juan Jose is 'saved' by the adult Santiago. The tale of the lonely, friendless, boy 'saved' by the adult pederast is a regular trope of 'boy-love' fiction. It may not be as dramatic as the circumstances as those in 'Costa Brava' but invariably the man 'saves' the 'lost' boy. The result is 'love' and it is always emphasised that the boy is the one who offers and instigates sex.
Do I need to assure you that I know this is all nonsense that a boy may need many things that a man can provide, but the only thing the boy has to offer, is his body, and it is never an exchange between equals.
The interesting thing about 'Costa Brava' is that the relationship between Juan Jose and Santiago is never consummated. They are separated and believe each other dead until they meet again (how they recognise each other is explained but I won't spoil the story) when Juan Jose who is now in his twenties and recently married. The point of the meeting is so that Juan Jose can explain that back when he was 12 he wanted and would have happily slept with Santiago. It is also made clear, and this is the point of the story, that the moment for them to have had sex has passed (Santiago would have said the same) but Juan Jose feels he has missed out, he needed and indeed he believes most boys need, while an adolescent, a relationship with a man like Santiago who are there 'to bring boys into manhood'. The adult Juan Jose feels he has missed something by not having had such a relationship in his adolescence.
The story is cliched, sentimental and, obviously, didactic. Literature may teach us many things but doesn't accomplish this by being any of the above.
December 13, 2022
It is July 1936 and the Spanish Civil War is breaking out. Santiago Capmany, a Venezuelan film producer on holiday in a village in Catalonia, is sitting on a seaside bench. Suddenly he is approached for help by a desperate Juan José, a boy on the eve of his 13th birthday whose father, a rightist politician, has just been killed. Juan José is instinctively drawn to put himself in Santiago's hands and love him, as is Santiago to reciprocate, thus initiating their dramatic escape together from the war-torn country.
Though the boy and man express their movingly depicted love with physical affection and the boy's physical attractiveness is described several times, it would be entirely possible to believe neither had any interest in a sexual fulfillment of it if it were not for the last three pages. Only then reencountering a now adult Juan José years too late, does Santiago gently reveal it is physical attraction "given to us by nature" which drives "we few ... to offer help and support to boys of a certain age." Juan José delicately reveals in turn that he would have welcomed consummation and had ever since been tormented with regret over having missed this fulfillment before it was too late.
A rather melodramatic fairy-tale quality pervades the dialogue and action of this enjoyable novella. Sometimes this strains its credibility, but fortunately never quite to breaking-point. The emotions described are absolutely authentic. These emotions are rarely described or understood today, and herein lies Costa Brava's true value.
I am not sure how to rate fairly something so simple and slender and yet so sincere and tender.
Edmund Marlowe, author of Alexander's Choice, a story of similar love, https://www.amazon.com/dp/191457107X.
Though the boy and man express their movingly depicted love with physical affection and the boy's physical attractiveness is described several times, it would be entirely possible to believe neither had any interest in a sexual fulfillment of it if it were not for the last three pages. Only then reencountering a now adult Juan José years too late, does Santiago gently reveal it is physical attraction "given to us by nature" which drives "we few ... to offer help and support to boys of a certain age." Juan José delicately reveals in turn that he would have welcomed consummation and had ever since been tormented with regret over having missed this fulfillment before it was too late.
A rather melodramatic fairy-tale quality pervades the dialogue and action of this enjoyable novella. Sometimes this strains its credibility, but fortunately never quite to breaking-point. The emotions described are absolutely authentic. These emotions are rarely described or understood today, and herein lies Costa Brava's true value.
I am not sure how to rate fairly something so simple and slender and yet so sincere and tender.
Edmund Marlowe, author of Alexander's Choice, a story of similar love, https://www.amazon.com/dp/191457107X.
May 25, 2024
Pathetic trope
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews