collection of poems by an unknown poet, Lynne Lawner. From what I've seen of her magazine published poems and two poems, "Woman to Woman" and "Jacoba" in NEW WORLD WRITING NO. 4, edited by Nolan Miller and Judson Jerome (Black Cat Books, Grove Press, 1962) her work will be of interest in this column.

Brigid Brophy, close on the heels of the American publication of her novel, FLESH, brought out in England her latest novel, THE FINISHING TOUCH, London, Secker and Warburg, 1963. It is the wry and castigating but witty account of an English girl's school, on the Riviera of all places, run by a pair of Lesbians. Possibly, hilarious lampooning is not to be encouraged but it's fun for all really, except perhaps for those who run establishments for the finishing of young women.

The English novel reaches only a small portion of the interested readers in this country unless chance interests an American publisher in the "rights". This is doubly sad for the "special interests" readers since their books are usually few enough.

Hazel Thurston's 1959 novel, THE GARLANDED LAMB, London, Chapman and Hall, is a sad and poignant story about a young boy from the country and what happens to him in the city. Sound familiar? Michael Foley's major misfortune is having Mrs. Foley for a mother. Mrs. Foley, hoping that the sensitive Michael can better his life, helps him to go to London where he becomes the employee of Johnny Lavington and ultimately his companion and lover. After a foolish fight Michael goes "back to the Irish bogs" where he is understandably miserable. Through a ruse, Johnny contacts Micael again and Micahel goes to him. Johnny makes it clear to Michael that he cannot go on without him and threatens to follow him back to Ireland if necessary. They fight and their car swerves off the road. From this point on the book becomes overly melodramatic but it is an interesting study of homosexual relationships and an excellent picture of the well-meaning "loving vampire" type of mother. Johnny Lavington is theoretically the villain, MATTACHINE SOCIETY is the one national organization that leads the march to progress and understanding. It needs your pledge of confidence: Won't you send $15 and become a supporting member? Only then have you joined.

mattachine REVIEW

but he is such a loveable character that dislike would be impossible where Michael, as the hero, is a bit much at times. Possibly these flaws are caused by the feminine authorship. With few exceptions (Murdoch and Renault, for example) women do not make convincing writers on male homosexual themes just as men do not convey the emotions of Lesbians adequately.

།

The life of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known to the world as Moliere, the comic master, is told in MONSIEUR MOLIERE, by Michale O'Shaughnessy, Crowell, 1959. His life was first bound up with the notorious court of Louis XIII of France and the attendant notables, the lovely arrogant Cinq-Mars, beloved of Louis, and Richelieu, the mighty Cardinal and real ruler of France. It is, of course, the relationship between Louis and Cinq-Mars that makes this book of interest in this column. While the story revolves around Moliere, we are still told much of the scandal of this affair which was the talk of the French Court for many months. Later, Moliere was a favorite of Louis XIV and there are amusing incidental references to the widespread homosexuality in the court at that time.

The bubbly stew of emotion beneath the golden crust of snobbish English rural society is cleverly revealed in THE PERFECTIONISTS, by Isobel Strachey, London, Anthony Blond, 1961. Paul Musgrave, botanist and writer, and Claude Garland, artists, were friends and loyers from their Oxford days. The "blazing honeymoon of kindred spirits had gradually burnt itself down to the warn ashes, of a steady, jealously guarded friendship.". When they began life, leaving the university with their degrees, they "were as handsome as Apollo and Hyacinthus, so handsome that contemporaries swooned and died for them...Like young Greek Gods descending from Olympus (they) set up life together in a lovely hollow of the Sussex Downs". Into their ideal lives come new neighbors, a Lawton Gregg and his young wife, Susan.. Paul falls in love with Susan (inexplicably) and the tangles begin. Lawton is annoyed and harrassed by a former mistress, the servants copulate all about them, and Claude (sadly) falls in love with Reg, the gardner. The halycon days are over forever and the beautiful love becomes just a yesterday. This is possibly the saddest kind of story, and Miss Strachey has handled it surprisingly well, without any dra-