Between Men: Best New Gay Fiction

by Richard Canning (Editor), Eugène Ionesco

Lambda Literary Award-winning editor Richard Canning brings together all new work by Edmund White, Dale Peck, James McCourt, Andrew Holleran, and others.

Genres: Anthologies, Fiction, Short Stories, Gay, Queer, Gay Fiction, LGBT

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2007

Reviews

[Khush · Rating 2 out of 5]

I took up this book to read some good stories about gay-lives. After going through the stories, I was a bit disappointed. The story I liked the most was 'The Painted Boy' by Edmund White. Most stories I found confusing. In other words, they did not speak to me even though I started off with the best of intention. For instance, 'Pennsylvania Story' was one such story where I really did not know what was happening. Maybe most of these stories compiled in this book appeal to certain sensibilities. In fact, I would further say that they are written by authors who respond to their material in particular ways not easily accessible to an ordinary reader. To put it bluntly, most stories just trailed off.

Strangely enough, I liked reading the 'Introduction'. It gives a very good sense of some key moments of post-AIDS crisis, such as Edmund White`s claim that it was only through literature this crisis was tamed. It played a powerful role to deal with 'the AIDS epidemic' when most other things failed; when institutions failed, the American society panicked and the victims were shamed. The book, in a way, aims to continue and encourage myriad stories of being gay.

From 'Introduction' which I enjoyed, I went on to read about the story-contributors. So you can imagine how I struggled with the stories that I sought refuge in 'Introduction' and so forth, and felt tempted to know more about the editor. Sometimes 'Introduction' to a book can do more than what is being introduced.

At least in my case it did.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthologies of 'Best New Gay Fiction' were, if not quite a commonplace, a regular item on publishing lists from the mid-1980s with the launch of the 'Men on Men' series followed by equally fine, but not as long lived, series like 'Best American Gay Fiction' and 'His' anthologies. They were outgrowths of an era of when there was an explosion in publication of gay literary fiction. By the time this anthology came out in 2007 that era was over and now, in 2024, we can see it was merely the beginning of changes in publishing and bookselling we couldn't begin to imagine. The introduction to this anthology by Richard Canning is a fascinating examination of the growth and change in gay publishing and, to an extent, gay literature up to then.

But for readers today is an examination of what gay publishing was in any way relevant? I think so because 'gay literature' is, like 'gay liberation', barely sixty years old and for its richness and diversity it is still something that is in the process of becoming, but becoming what? Reading the introductions in older anthologies, like this, are the easiest way to see how the meaning of both 'gay' literature and being 'gay' has changed and why the era of anthologies of 'Best New Gay Fictions' had passed (though there would be a companion volume 'Between Men 2' in 2009) Gay life is now simply to diverse.

The important question is whether the fiction contained in this or an anthology is still worth reading? In the case of Between Men the authors represented is truly dazzling; aside from well established writers (those with several books published) like Andrew Holleran, Edmund White, Andrew Killian, James McCourt, Robert Gluck, Bruce Benderson and Dale Peck there are works from some of the then finest young writers who happened to be gay like Patrick Ryan (Send Me 2006), Mark Friedman (Setting the Lawn on Fire 2005), Tennessee Jones (Deliver Me from Nowhere 2005), Shaun Levin (The Year of Two Summers 2005), David McConnell (Firebrat 2003), Vestal McIntyre (You are not the Only One 2003) and Alistair McCartney (The End of the World 2007).

There is not a writer in that list whose work does not repay investigation and I believe that anthologies, at their best, as guides to a literary heritage that is in danger of being forgotten, particularly of those listed as 'younger'. Though I am particularly pleased that the novel 'Beads' by David McConnell, from which 'Rivals' one of the finest pieces is taken, is scheduled for publication in the autumn of 2024.

This is a collection of fine writing, not short stories as many of the pieces are excerpted from longer works, and while I didn't love everything (is that possible in any anthology?) my liked, no my loved, stories were easily in the majority. I have no hesitation in recommending it.

[Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only read the introduction and the first story, which is by Andrew Holleran.

But I don't think I'll change the number of stars if I read the rest of the stories. I want readers to know that Andrew Holleran's story is as good as anything he's written. It's something of a send-up of "Death In Venice," but it's also sort of a tribute to Paul Bowles. This is incredible writing full of keen observations.

Richard Canning's introduction is very interesting in itself. While this is a collection of brand new stories, the introduction gives a fine overview of gay anthologies of the last quarter-century.

I noticed the book yesterday, bought it, read the introduction and Holleran's story and I feel quite sure the rest will be as literary.

I've been waiting for a collection like this for a few years now.

[Hoong · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Hello, Young Lovers,' the first story from Andrew Holleran impressed me as I had forgotten 'real news/information' is still available, waiting for us to discern from a potpourri of misinformation, disinformation, and real information. But my ability to discern this has come at a high cost of taking 7 university courses covering Gay Studies to Kinks. I can just imagine those readers from the younger generation who try to diagnose their sexual orientations or other personal conditions based on information culled from popular media and the fiction industry.

[Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many of these pieces are excerpts from larger works and so they don't really work as complete stories. Some just go on and on and don't seem to have a point; they just end. What is James McCourt talking about anyway? It's code for opera buffs that I neither understand nor care about. Truthfully, none of the pieces grab my interest enough to make me want to pick up the larger work to read. If this is the best in new gay fiction, then gay fiction is dead. The few pieces that are memorable and worth reading are the most distrubing: stories by Ethan Mordden, Alistair McCartney, Tennessee Jones, David McConnell, and Vestal McIntyre Also, enjoyed John Weir's less distrubing "Neo-Realism at the Infiniplex."

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any anthology, the quality varies. But most of these are sharply observed facets of modern gay life, many of them with unusual and specific subjects. They're not all educated urban gay adventurers living in Chelsea and San Francisco.

In one, a man longs (and lusts) for an underage boy, and waits balefully until the lad reaches his legal maturity - only to find that their moment of true connection seems to have passed. A man and woman, roommates and friends who are sort-of fuck buddies, are torn apart when he tries to fall in love - and she does.

Not sure that these will hold much appeal to the straight reader, but they're a nicely varied collection of stories by a number of America's leading gay writers, and a few with whom I've had no previous experience.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these stories are great. Others are rather peculiar.