joe take a bow
Junior Member
I think we all know his favorite author(s) but I was wondering if anyone knew what his favorite books by Wilde or any others. Has he ever said in an interview or elsewhere what his favorite titles were.
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall...This just adds fuel to the fire of my "Morrissey is a lesbian" theory.
Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller
From Reverence to Rape by Molly Haskell
Men's Liberation: A New Definition of Masculinity by Jack Nichols
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, really? About when did he mention that as one of his favorite books?
This just adds fuel to the fire of my "Morrissey is a lesbian" theory.
Many to list. Here are a few I can recall from interviews:
A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
Born Fighter by Reggie Kray
Poems by Sir John Betjeman
Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept by Elizabeth Smart
Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Poems by Stevie Smith
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller
From Reverence to Rape by Molly Haskell
Men's Liberation: A New Definition of Masculinity by Jack Nichols
Murderer's Who's Who
I don't recall ever reading anything about his favorite Wilde book. I'm guessing he loves two: any one of the many "Quotations" books and De Profundis. EDIT: He once said The Decay of Lying was his favorite.
Not to nitpick, but I thought the Susan Brownmiller book he specifically mentioned reading & admiring in the 1980's was "Femininity". It's almost a sure thing though that he's also read "Against Our Will" as that's her more famous/well-regarded work.
I hope he enjoys The Plague by Camus.
Didn't he once mention "The Little Prince"?
He once said The Decay of Lying was his favorite.
Sunbags, I was being silly, as is my wont - especially on a very quiet and tedious Friday afternoon
I haven't read it, but The Well of Loneliness was considered a touchstone in the lesbian community for many years - it may still be, I dunno.
From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Heather Downey
The Well of Loneliness is a path-breaking novel. Published by Radclyffe Hall herself in 1928, it was immediately banned in Britain due to its lesbian theme and was allowed in the United States only after a long court battle. Once it was available, The Well of Loneliness sold more than 20,000 copies its first year and paved the way for other works with lesbian themes. The novel concerns a girl born into a wealthy English family at the turn of the century and named Stephen by her father who desperately wanted a boy. Practically from birth, Stephen is described as "different," yet while Radclyffe Hall delivers the powerful message that lesbianism is natural, she also asks the reader to have pity on Stephen Gordon, for, along with the popular psychoanalysts of her day, Radclyffe Hall describes lesbianism as an "inversion." The "terrible mark of Cain" compels Stephen to forsake the woman she loves to protect her from a life of ostracism. This message, along with Radclyffe Hall's portrayal of lesbians in stereotypical "butch" and "femme" roles, caused the book to be written off by feminists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In addition, many readers today may find the language long-winded and the characters one-dimensional, with the exception of the thinly-veiled portrait of the author as Stephen Gordon. Nonetheless, The Well of Loneliness is worth reading because it shattered the silence of oppression and conveys a message about homophobia and internalized shame relevant to lesbians even today.
im not sure if he's ever mentioned it, but in the suedhead video there's a quick clip of him holding 'le petite prince'
Marquis de Sade?
bwahahahahhaaaaaa
You'd think he would love other French writers like Andre Gide, Marcel Proust and Jean Genet, but I've never seen him mention any-- aside from that theatrical stage reading of Proust, but that text may have been chosen for him.