The Gaudy Image

Overview

Originally published in Paris by the legendary Olympia Press in 1958 to avoid US and UK obscenity laws, this classic of gay fiction is available in a new edition for the first time in 30 years

Originally published in Europe in the 1950s to avoid prosecution for obscenity, The Gaudy Image is one of the most important "lost" gay novels. Set in New Orleans and featuring a colorful cast of louche but lovable characters, the story follows Titania aka Thomas Schwartz through the backstreets, bars and club of the French Quarter in search of the perfect lover—the Gaudy Image. This beautifully written story is both elegant and caustically humorous, erotic and sympathetic.

Author Biography

William Talsman was the pseudonym of James M. Smith, a US writer and poet.