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Quickies: Short, Short Fiction on Gay Male Desire
James Johnstone, editor
Arsenal Pulp Press
How to order Male Nude, The
David Leddick
Taschen Books
How to order Best Gay Erotica 1998
Christopher Bram and Richard Labonte, editors
Clies Press
How to order

One can't separate out the history of representations of the nude male form from the history of male homosexual culture, sensibility, or erotica. From the statuary of classical Greece to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling to the photography of Robert Mapplethorpe, the nude male form has signified for gay men not only sexual desire but homosexuality itself. It's no accident that in the 1950s some gay men would decorate their homes with statues of Michelangelo's David since it provided a touch of homoeroticism under the cover of "good taste," and even allowed the presence of dick in an otherwise forbidden setting.

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David Leddick's The Male Nude (Taschen Books, paper, 786 pages, $35) is an almost 800-page survey of its subject over the past century, presenting us with the changes in body type, standards of beauty, and sexual affect. While noting the importance of Greek and Renaissance art in helping to define contemporary gay sensibility, Leddick begins his historical survey at the end of the last century. Looking at Victorian prints of strong men and posed "art" photography, we can see a clear line to the "health" photos of the 1940s and 50s in such homoerotic magazines as Physique Pictorial and Adonis. The work of artists such as Bruce of Los Angeles-- whose aesthetic defined the times-- then leads to contemporary artists such as Mapplethorpe, Bruce Weber, and Nan Goldin. Mapplethorpe and Weber are far more graphic in their depictions of gay activity and sentiment-- Mapplethorpe's models, when not sporting hard-ons, are strapped up in leather and rubber, while Weber's are vain, preening, and aloof, though just obviously seeking attention of the male gaze.

But there's a clear lineage binding this new work to the artists who came earlier. By finding both the resonances and the differences, small and large, David Leddick charts the evolutions of the male body and gay culture over ten decades. He shows the various ways gay men have defined themselves and their communities. The ways the male body is clothed, posed, photographed, and seen reveal changes that occur over decades, and are a history of how gay men themselves have changed their inner and outer lives.

Came in a flash

Brevity may be the soul of wit, but in James Johnstone's Quickies: Short, Short Fiction on Gay Male Desire (Arsenal Pulp Press, paper, 220 pages, $14.95) it is also the essence of an inflamed sexual imagination. Even at its best, gay male porn has never been noted for its succinctness. The rule has always been "the more details the better." In the 69 pieces here-- from noted writers such as Jonathan Strong and Lawrence Schimel to newcomers like Viet Dhin and Sandip Roy-- Johnstone has assembled a panoply of the sexy, the odd, the vibrant, and the powerful, covering the full range of gay sexual desire and expression. None of the stories are more than four pages long and each of them packs a wallop. While they all contain some sexual material?from slow love making to quick tricking-- none of them falls into the category of simple-minded, obvious porn. Johnstone's strength as an editor is in choosing stories with the quirky detail or well-struck emotional chord. With its abundance of wit, warmth, and wonder, Quickies makes most porn anthologies look overwrought and under-sexed.

Horny & writes well

Erotic fiction rarely gets its due. Usually viewed simply as a printed aphrodisiac, it is ascribed a utilitarian purpose that precludes "art" or even talent. How wrong-headed! Best Gay Erotica 1998 (Clies Press, paper, 154 pages, $14.95)-- the third in an annual series-- proves that smut can be smart, witty, insightful, and funny. This year's installment-- produced under the guidance of series editor Richard Labonte, is introduced by novelist Christopher Bram (Surprising Myself, Almost History, and Gossip)-- is the best collection so far. Bram's thoughtful and intelligent introduction places gay male porn in the broader realm of American literature-- right up there with Phillip Roth and John Updike-- and his selections prove his point. While all of the pieces here involve sex, they are also about real life. Will Leber's "White Picket Fence" deals brilliantly with romantic illusions and expectations. Brian Bouldry's "Pioneering" is about the confusions of sex among boys. Horehound Stillpoint's "All the Hookers in America" examines the reality behind the fantasy of tricking. Best Gay Erotica delivers on all three words in its title. **

Author Profile:  Michael Bronski
	Michael Bronski is the author of Culture Clash: The Making of Gay Sensibility and The Pleasure Principle: Sex, Backlash, and the Struggle for Gay Freedom. He writes frequently on sex, books, movies, and culture, and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
	Email:	mabronski@aol.com