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=                          Strange_Brother                           =
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                            Introduction
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'Strange Brother' is a gay novel written by Blair Niles published in
1931.  The story is about a platonic relationship between a
heterosexual woman and a gay man and takes place in New York City in
the late 1920s and early 1930s.

'Strange Brother' provides an early and objective documentation of
homosexual issues during the Harlem Renaissance.


                            Plot summary
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Mark Thornton, the story's protagonist, moves to New York City in
hopes of feeling like less of an outsider. At a nightclub in Harlem he
meets and befriends June Westbrook. One night they witness a man named
Nelly being arrested. June encourages Mark to investigate. This leads
Mark to attend Nelly's trial, where he is found guilty and sentenced
to six months' imprisonment on Welfare Island for his feminine
affections and gestures. Next Mark researches the crimes against
nature sections of the penal code. Shaken up by his findings and the
events, Mark confesses his own homosexuality to June.

Mark and June's friendship continues to grow, and June introduces Mark
to a number of friends in her social circle. Various social
interactions ensue including a dinner party for a departing professor,
a trip to a nightspot featuring a singer called Glory who sings Creole
Love Call and attending a drag ball. Despite reading Walt Whitman's
poetry collection 'Leaves of Grass', Edward Carpenter's series of
papers 'Love's Coming of Age', and Countee Cullen's poetry, Mark is
afraid to come out. Subsequently, Mark is threatened with being outed
at work. In response to this threat, Mark commits suicide by shooting
himself.


                             Characters
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Tom Burden: An older gay man and platonic friend who urges Mark to
develop his drawing talents.  Tom leads Mark to realize his
homosexuality before he himself travels abroad.

Philip Crane (Phil): A handsome, muscular and heterosexual man who
studies tropical entomology.  Phil is Jane's cousin and companion on
whom Mark has a secret crush.

Palmer Fleming: June's ex-husband whom she witnesses dancing with a
scantily clad young man at a Drag Ball.

Harold Grant (Nelly): A 21-year-old, outwardly effeminate African
American man and drag queen whose arrest concerns June and Mark.

Irwin Hesse: A professor who is a Jewish man from continental Europe.
Dr. Hesse experiments with sex differences in animals, focusing on the
endocrine system, polymorphism, and gynandromorphism.  Dr. Hesse
asserts that sex differences are chemical and "abnormals" make up 2-3%
of the general population.

Lilly-Marie: A friend of Mark's who is a gay ex-convict.

Peggy: A young woman who has a romantic interest in Mark, but marries
Phil.

Quinn: An older Irish man who is the janitor at Mark's settlement
house.

Rico: A Sicilian boy and fruit vendor whose stand is outside Mark's
settlement house.

Evan Rysdale: An artist whom June befriends while summering at
Ogunquit, Maine.

Glory: A Harlem nightclub singer.

Mark Thornton: The protagonist of the story, Mark is a 22-year-old
Midwestern man who has traveled to New York City.  He is not outwardly
effeminate and teaches drawing at a local settlement house.

Seth Vaughn: A young man and distinguished author and lecturer who
does not return June Westbrook's affections.

June Westbrook: June is a young heterosexual divorcée who works as a
newspaper columnist.  She is a central character in the story, being
Mark's closest friend.

It has been suggested that the Harlem nightclub entertainer in the
novel named Glory is based upon the jazz singer Adelaide Hall who
introduced the song "Creole Love Call" in 1927, but this is probably
unlikely as Adelaide Hall and Beatrice Lillie are the only
contemporary entertainers of the time mentioned in the text. This
happens when Hall and Lillie are rumoured to be at the Drag Ball.


                        Publication history
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'Strange Brother' has been reprinted a number of times since its
initial 1931 Liveright publication in New York, as follows:

* Thomas Werner Laurie, 1931 (British publication)
* Harris Publishing Company, 1949
* Avon Books, 1952
* Arno Press, 1975
* Gay Men's Press, 1991
* Ayer Company Publishers, 2002


                Literary significance and criticism
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'Strange Brother' received mixed reviews upon its publication.
Reviewers were not offended by the homosexual theme and noted the
situations in the novel were portrayed with tolerance and sympathy
rather than approval.  The novel was praised for being interesting and
informative, but did not receive praise for its execution as an
engaging novel that comes to life.


Critical commentary
=====================
Henry Gerber, a gay critic wrote in 1934, "['Strange Brother' is] an
ideal anti-homosexual propaganda."  Ian Young numbers it among a group
of early gay novels that is "cast in the form of a tragic melodrama."
George-Michel Sarotte notes the sympathetic nature of the book, but
also points out that it "is more of a psychosociological investigation
than a novel."  He goes on to credit Blair Niles for being one of the
first authors to portray a continuum of sexuality, and for promoting
tolerance and compassion."  According to editor and author Anthony
Slide, 'Strange Brother' illustrates the "basic assumption that gay
characters in literature must come to a tragic end."


Journalistic focus
====================
The book has been praised for its journalistic focus.  Ben Duncan's
perspective was published in the January 25, 1979 issue of the 'Gay
News' newspaper, "The book remains and is welcome now, as a monument
of good reporting." Susan Stryker, a scholar, notes that "[Blair
Niles] treats Manhattan's homosexual subculture much the same way she
does any other exotic locale."  Again, Slide notes that Niles'
anthropological approach to documenting homosexuality as well as the
Harlem Negro in 'Strange Brother' "is fascinating to a modern
readership." George-Michel Sarotte calls the work a thorough study of
a variety of homosexuals, showcasing both whites and blacks, and a
range of homosexual life styles from transvestite to the
"well-adjusted male".  The homosexual's legal, and societal
relationships both in large cities and small towns are covered.
Additionally the psychological history from childhood to adulthood is
canvassed, including commitments, identifying with homosexual
literature, guilt, solitude, sadness, blackmail and suicide.


                              See also
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* 'Lost Gay Novels'


                             References
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; Notes

; Bibliography

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