Letters

$199

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO THE EDITORS FORWARD LETTERS FROM READERS TO OTHER PERSONS NOR DO THEY ANSWER CORRESPONDENCE MAKING SUCH REQUESTS.

THE OTHER CONTINENTS SPEAK

Dear Don Slater:

There being many poor Japanese, and homosexual pratice not being particularly stigmatized, many boys not exclusively homosexual and certainly not very serious about it, crowd the bars as "business boys" (trade). I's extremely difficult to tell the genuine from the paste, particularly since they themselves are often not sure.

Oddly enough the bar habituées are generally either teen-agers (twelve is the age of consent for either male or female) or men upwards of forty. The range of twenty-one to thirty-five which I prefer must all be happily married, for they seldom appear.

I did run across one gay club recently which publishes, so far as I know, the only exclusively gay magazine in Japan. It has the title of ADONIS, is entirely printed in Japanese, on slick paper, and is a little thicker than ONE. The club is called the Greek Research Society!

Recently I completed a trip to the extreme south of Japan, to the island of Kyúshú, the classical home of Japanese gay life. It is still so considered. However, the Western-style gay bar (same name in Japanese) is prevalent everywhere. As in the West, they combine convenience and informality with a lack of depth. The meeting places for the more old-fashioned (as well as for the ultra-modern) are the parks and the Japanese teahouses.

I am told that in this area homosexual romances are taken very seriously, murders for infidelity not being uncommon.

one

Mr. L.

Tokyo, Japan

Dear Friends:

Do you know the excellent new Danish magazine EOS? The name translates as "The Others." Personally I feel it is one of the best in this field in Europe. They are doing a tremendous work and since EOS came along the Danish newspapers have changed completely concerning their viewpoints on homosexuality. Mr. R.

My Dear ONE:

Copenhagen, Denmark

I was very astonished to read a complimentary review of the French book Jean-Paul, by Marcel Guersant (November, 1959). The author is not of our sort. A friend of mine went to see him and Guersant told him to go to hell; that he wanted nothing to do with our sort.

The book is just the most desperate thing that could be written. If a poor, young chap who takes matters seriously were to read it he would just have to commit suicide afterwards. Moreover, from an artistic point of view the book is nothing-plain, common language and thoughts.

For those who read French do please get them to read something else, for instance, Fabrizio Lupo, by Carlo Coccioli, or Tempo di Roma, by Alexis Curvers, a Belgian-perfectly delightful, or L'age d'or, by Pierre Herbart, delightful again.

In any case have the new French magazine JUVENTUS read seriously with a view for translating some of the articles. It is very superior

corresponds to ONE.

By the way, what is this term homophile? Of what use? Are not the words homosexual and bisexual sufficiently explicit?

Dear Mr. Slater:

Mr. D. Paris, France

I am very happy to tell you that the book A Way of Life arrived safely last Saturday. Apparently it has been lying around in the mail office here several weeks before they advised me of its arrival. I am indeed sorry to have troubled you in the matter. I prefer to buy books through ONE with the hope that you manage to make a few extra pennies on the transaction.

Do you know if Peter Wildeblood has published anything since A Way of Life? Has James Barr written anything since his excellent Game of Fools?

Dear Sirs:

Mr. S. Cali, Colombia

The Australian Customs Department seized August, 1959, ONE as "indecent, obscene," etc. Unlike Mr. B., of South Yarra, I am going to fight this case as far as possible. Please