Out of the Blue by Kev Moss, Simon Karlsky, Febary 1997, Gay Sunshe Prs edn, Paperback English
Contents:
23 - RSIAN GAY AND LBIAN LERATURE
The Cambridge History of Gay and Lbian Lerature - November 2014 * gay russian literature *
Most of the current rearch on the topic is still rried out by foreign scholars, and most of the the historil Rsian texts on homosexualy, even when wrten by proment scholars and wrers, are disregard.
OUT OF THE BLUE: RSIA'S HIDN GAY LERATURE
Historian Dan Healey, whose 2001 book Homosexual Dire Revolutnary Rsia was translated to Rsian 2008, argu that spe several prohibive laws sexualy was nsirably ls regulated pre-revolutnary Rsia than elsewhere Europe at that time. Several rearchers claim that historil acunts show that before the 18th century, Rsian society held rather lenient views toward homosexualy, and that homophobia was at least part “imported” om Europe by Peter the Great — along wh European tradns food, archecture and fashn. Some argue that was Peter’s father, Tsar Alexis, who first started persecutg gay people, but the first law that ma homosexualy illegal (ially only for men the army and navy) was signed by Peter 1716.
In a 1913 say on the relatnship between relign and sexualy entled Moonlight People, the proment wrer and philosopher Vasily Rozanov argu that homosexualy has been a historil part of not jt Rsian but Orthodox life, and pots out that several works of relig medieval Rsian lerature, like the Liv of Boris and Gleb, nta strong hts that certa characters (ually sats and martyrs) were gay. In the 19th century the most well-studied members of the ci’ LGBTQ muni were the nobily — cludg members of the royal fay — but their liv are still shroud wh mystery today, sce hont, unprejudiced discsns of homosexualy (and sexualy general) rema relatively taboo Rsia.
RSIAN GAYS/WTERN GAZE
One of the most proment exampl was Grand De Konstant, grandson of emperor Nicholas I and uncle of Nicholas II, whose homosexualy was revealed 1994, nearly 80 years after his ath 1915, when his ndid diari were published.
Another source of rmatn for rearchers are the anonymo nunciatns ma to the police — some of which tail the everyday liv and entertament of the gay muny greater tail than n be found history books.