Queer City : Gay London From the Romans to the Present Day

PRAISE FOR __QUEER CITY__ “Always entertaining . . . much to be recommended.”—__The Spectator__ “A nimble, uproarious pocket history of sex in his beloved metropolis.”—__Independent__ “Ackroyd has an encyclopedic knowledge of London, and a poet’s instinct for its strange, mesmerizing drives and urges . . . __Queer City__ contains something to alarm or fascinate on every page.”—__The Mail on Sunday__ “Droll, provocative and crammed to busting with startling facts.”—__The Guardian__ “Succinct, perceptive and robust.”—__Daily Telegraph__ In __Queer City,__ the acclaimed Peter Ackroyd looks at London in a whole new way–through the complete history and experiences of its gay and lesbian population. In Roman __Londinium__, the city was dotted with __lupanaria__ (“wolf dens” or public pleasure houses), __fornices__ (brothels), and __thermiae__ (hot baths). Then came the Emperor Constantine, with his bishops, monks, and missionaries. And so began an endless loop of alternating permissiveness and censure. Ackroyd takes us right into the hidden history of the city; from the notorious Normans to the frenzy of executions for sodomy in the early nineteenth century. He journeys through the coffee bars of sixties Soho to Gay Liberation, disco music, and the horror of AIDS. Ackroyd reveals the hidden story of London, with its diversity, thrills, and energy, as well as its terrors, dangers, and risks, and in doing so, explains the origins of all English-speaking gay culture. A history of the development of London as a European epicenter of queer life.In Queer City, the acclaimed Peter Ackroyd looks at London in a whole new way–through the complete history and experiences of its gay and lesbian population. In Roman Londinium, the city was dotted with lupanaria (“wolf dens” or public pleasure houses), fornices (brothels), and thermiae (hot baths). Then came the Emperor Constantine, with his bishops, monks, and missionaries. And so began an endless loop of alternating permissiveness and censure. Ackroyd takes us right into the hidden history of the city; from the notorious Normans to the frenzy of executions for sodomy in the early nineteenth century. He journeys through the coffee bars of sixties Soho to Gay Liberation, disco music, and the horror of AIDS. Ackroyd reveals the hidden story of London, with its diversity, thrills, and energy, as well as its terrors, dangers, and risks, and in doing so, explains the origins of all English-speaking gay culture.Praise for Queer City“Spanning centuries, the book is a fantastically researched project that is obviously close to the author's heart.... An exciting look at London's queer history and a tribute to the “various human worlds maintained in [the city's] diversity despite persecution, condemnation, and affliction.””—Kirkus Reviews“[Ackroyd's] work is highly anecdotal and near encyclopedic... the book is fascinating in its careful exposition of the singularities—and commonalities—of gay life, both male and female. Ultimately it is, as he concludes, a celebration as well as a history,” —Booklist“A witty history-cum-tribute to gay London, from the Roman “wolf dens” through Oscar Wilde and Gay Pride marches to the present day,” —ShelfAwareness PRAISE FOR QUEER CITY “Always entertaining . . . much to be recommended.”— The Spectator “A nimble, uproarious pocket history of sex in his beloved metropolis.”— Independent “Ackroyd has an encyclopedic knowledge of London, and a poet’s instinct for its strange, mesmerizing drives and urges . . . Queer City contains something to alarm or fascinate on every page.”— The Mail on Sunday “Droll, provocative and crammed to busting with startling facts.”— The Guardian “Succinct, perceptive and robust.”— Daily Telegraph In Queer City, the acclaimed Peter Ackroyd looks at London in a whole new way–through the complete history and experiences of its gay and lesbian population. In Roman Londinium , the city was dotted with lupanaria (“wolf dens” or public pleasure houses), fornices (brothels), and thermiae (hot baths). Then came the Emperor Constantine, with his bishops, monks, and missionaries. And so began an endless loop of alternating permissiveness and censure. Ackroyd takes us right into the hidden history of the city; from the notorious Normans to the frenzy of executions for sodomy in the early nineteenth century. He journeys through the coffee bars of sixties Soho to Gay Liberation, disco music, and the horror of AIDS. Ackroyd reveals the hidden story of London, with its diversity, thrills, and energy, as well as its terrors, dangers, and risks, and in doing so, explains the origins of all English-speaking gay culture. Peter Ackroyd Is Our Preeminent Chronicler Of London. In Queer City, He Looks At The Metropolis In A Whole New Way - Through The History And Experiences Of Its Gay Population. In Roman Londinium The Penis Was Worshipped And Homosexuality Was Considered Admirable. The City Was Dotted With Lupanaria ('wolf Dens' Or Public Pleasure Houses), Fornices (brothels) And Thermiae (hot Baths). Then Came The Emperor Constantine, With His Bishops And Clergy, Monks And Missionaries. His Rule Was Accompanied By The First Laws Against Queer Practices. What Followed Was An Endless Loop Of Alternating Permissiveness And Censure, From The Notorious Normans, Whose Military Might Depended On Masculine Loyalty, And The Fashionable Female Transvestism Of The 1620s; To The Frenzy Of Executions For Sodomy In The Early 1800s And The 'gay Plague' In The 1980s. Ackroyd Takes Us Right Into This Hidden City, Celebrating Its Diversity, Thrills And Energy On The One Hand; But Reminding Us Of Its Very Real Terrors, Dangers And Risks On The Other. In A City Of Superlatives, It Is Perhaps This Endless Sexual Fluidity And Resilience That Epitomise The Real Triumph Of London. What's in a name? A red and savage tongue A military lay The friend No cunt Bring on the dancing boys Soft and slippery The rubsters Suck thy master Arsey-versy Continually wet Good golly Miss Molly Flats Tiddy dolls Rump riders Omi-palone Damned and done for Howl.