Glenway Wescott Bücher

Frankreich, Ende der zwanziger Jahre. Der amerikanische Schriftsteller Alwyn Tower zieht sich in ein abgelegenes Dorf zu seiner Freundin zurück. Da tauchen plötzlich die Cullens, exzentrische Landadelige aus Irland, auf. Mrs Cullen ist eine leidenschaftliche Jägerin und trägt, wo immer sie ist, ihren Jagdfalken Lucy auf der Faust. Sie liebt den Vogel abgöttisch, ihr Mann hasst ihn. Der schneidende Blick des Falken provoziert eine ganze Serie von Konfrontationen: in immer neuen Dreiecksformationen bereden die Bewohner des Landsitzes Liebe und Treue, Leidenschaft und Betrug. Spannungen und alte Wunden brechen auf, Dramen nehmen ihren Lauf. Mit der Beobachtungsgabe eines Henry James und der Sinnlichkeit von Boccaccio ist Glenway Wescott ein rasanter und mitreißender Reigen menschlicher Abgründe gelungen.

Haunted by the spirits of his ancestors, Alwyn Tower embarks on a journey through Europe, exploring the impact of the Civil War on his family. As he navigates his travels, he confronts the legacy of his grandparents and great-uncles and aunts, whose lives were irrevocably changed by the war. This poignant narrative intertwines personal history with broader themes of loss and remembrance, reflecting on how the past continues to resonate in the present.

Exploring the life of Glenway Wescott, this narrative delves into his rich experiences as a writer and cultural figure. From his modest Wisconsin roots to his influential presence in 1920s Paris, Wescott's journey is marked by encounters with literary giants and a deep appreciation for art and humanity. His late journals capture a tapestry of themes—love, sorrow, humor, and politics—reflecting his profound insights and compassion. This work offers a captivating glimpse into the final decades of a significant American literary voice.

Just as E. M. Forster's novel of gay love, Maurice, remained unpublished throughout his lifetime, Glenway Wescott's long story "A Visit to Priapus" was also destined to be a posthumous work, buried from 1938 until this century in Wescott's massive archive of manuscripts, journals, notebooks, and letters. The autobiographical story is about a literary man, frustrated in love, who puts aside his pride and makes a date with a young artist in Maine. Lavishly rendered in Wescott's elegant prose, the tale is explicit where it needs to be, but—as is typical of Wescott—it is filled with descriptive beauty and introspective lessons about sex and sexuality, love and creativity. Previously published in anthology form in the United Kingdom, "A Visit to Priapus" is presented for the first time in book form in America, containing previously uncollected stories, including three never before published. The result is a candid portrayal of the gifted but enigmatic writer who was famous in youth and remained a perceptive and compassionate voice throughout his long life. Drawn together from midcentury literary journals and magazines of the 1920s and 1930s, as well as from Wescott's papers, the stories were inspired by his life, from childhood to old age, from Wisconsin farm country to New York, London, Germany, and Paris. Finalist, Gay General Fiction, Lambda Literary Awards