WATCH: Tom Crewe and Colm Tóibín on the Joyful History of Gay Life
Hosted by Greenlight Bookstore
From longtime editor for the London Review of Books comes the debut novel The New Life by Tom Crewe. Our modern conception of homosexuality in history is exclusively of danger, of suppression, of Oscar Wilde wasting away in a jail cell.
But in reality, while those dangers were very real, it is also true that gay men and women found one another and formed their own communities, their own ways of staying safe while staying true to themselves. This moment was one when there was hope that the future would be a more accepting, more welcoming place. This side of history is just as important, and just as relevant, to remember today, when the walls seem to be closing in once more.
Celebrating Tom’s debut is Colm Tóibín, an early champion of Tom’s work and a prolific author, including his upcoming essay collection A Guest at the Feast.
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Founded in October 2009 by Rebecca Fitting and Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Greenlight Bookstore is an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York. Combining the best traditions of the neighborhood bookstore with carefully curated, community-minded events, Greenlight has earned a reputation as a literary destination. Greenlight has continued to serve its community during the COVID-19 pandemic with a diverse array of virtual events, and has been inspired by the movements for racial justice across the country to engage in the work of becoming a more anti-racist company. Learn more at greenlightbookstore.com or check them out @greenlightbklyn.
