What do you think?
Rate this book
Men on Men #6
Men on Men 6: Best New Gay Fiction
This extraordinary collection of today's best gay fiction brings together news and important work by established writers and exciting emerging voices of uncommon skill and urgency. Works by Jim Grimsley, Bruce Benderson, James Purdy, Norman Wong, and others explore the astonishing diversity and complexity of the gay male experience in the mid-'90s.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 31, 2022
I have just read this anthology again - something I try and do with all anthologies I own but the Men on Men ones in particular - I am as enthusiastic as my original review but what is interesting is the insight the Men on Men anthologies give into the development of 'gay' identity not so much from Stonewall but from the first MoM volume in 1986 and the roots of the demise of the series, and most anthologies of literary gay writing. Although the changes in the publishing world were of course important but more so was the schizophrenia over what these volumes were supposed to do. Were they literary anthologies or anthologies that would reflect the variety and complexity of gay life?
The truth is that although all the anthologies contain great writing they also failed to reflect the 'gay' world in any sort of complexity - even in America and outside of America barely gets a look in (this volume does contain Sandip Roy's first published work but it is about an Indian [from the country India] and his cultural shock dealing with the USA 'gay' scene). But what is most notable is the struggle of older writers like for example William J. Mann to deal with aging (in the sense of no longer being the hottest trick on the dance floor - 40+ never mind 60+ still had a long time to wait to be treated as anything but redundant) but also that the defining tropes of 'gay' life they had known - like Bette Davis in 'All About Eve' were not eternal verities but part of zietgeist whose time had passed. Reading that Mann story now thirty plus years after publication it reads both ridiculous and arrogant - even though Mann was good for his time you can't help feeling he was expressing not apercus for the ages but half assed platitudes.
Still I always find new writers I want to read, like Norman Wong and J.E. Robinson, but also many for whom this was their only foray into fiction like Wayne Scott and Achim Nowak. I would still unhesitatingly recommend this and all the MonM anthologies to readers young and old.
MY ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Another very fine anthology, I've read the other reviews here and I am amazed at the carping tone of disaffection about most of this anthology!? What more can you ask for? There are stories and excerpts from works by James Purdy, Philip Gambone, Paul Lisicky, Bruce Henderson, Jim Grimsley, really I have got to stop myself or I will have to list them all. I would totally disagree about a lack of quality - like all the MoM volumes you may argue about the fine writers not included - but not that those featured are not worthy of inclusion. I believe that we should look back on the 1990s and be grateful for the wealth of anthologized gay writing that was published then.
The truth is that although all the anthologies contain great writing they also failed to reflect the 'gay' world in any sort of complexity - even in America and outside of America barely gets a look in (this volume does contain Sandip Roy's first published work but it is about an Indian [from the country India] and his cultural shock dealing with the USA 'gay' scene). But what is most notable is the struggle of older writers like for example William J. Mann to deal with aging (in the sense of no longer being the hottest trick on the dance floor - 40+ never mind 60+ still had a long time to wait to be treated as anything but redundant) but also that the defining tropes of 'gay' life they had known - like Bette Davis in 'All About Eve' were not eternal verities but part of zietgeist whose time had passed. Reading that Mann story now thirty plus years after publication it reads both ridiculous and arrogant - even though Mann was good for his time you can't help feeling he was expressing not apercus for the ages but half assed platitudes.
Still I always find new writers I want to read, like Norman Wong and J.E. Robinson, but also many for whom this was their only foray into fiction like Wayne Scott and Achim Nowak. I would still unhesitatingly recommend this and all the MonM anthologies to readers young and old.
MY ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Another very fine anthology, I've read the other reviews here and I am amazed at the carping tone of disaffection about most of this anthology!? What more can you ask for? There are stories and excerpts from works by James Purdy, Philip Gambone, Paul Lisicky, Bruce Henderson, Jim Grimsley, really I have got to stop myself or I will have to list them all. I would totally disagree about a lack of quality - like all the MoM volumes you may argue about the fine writers not included - but not that those featured are not worthy of inclusion. I believe that we should look back on the 1990s and be grateful for the wealth of anthologized gay writing that was published then.
May 25, 2018
Many of the stories felt numb to me somehow, heady, arrogant, descriptions of character performances. Campy. I often wasn’t feeling anything as I was reading. About half I DNF. A few, however. I did enjoy. “Cartography” by Karl Woeltz in particular really touched me.
June 5, 2016
I love this series!
November 7, 2016
A mixed bag (as usual). A little something for everyone. My favorite was "Cartography" by Karl Woelz. Beautifully written.
September 2, 2025
Some better than others, none especially memorable or impactful
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews