The latest in Arsenal's line of gay men's fiction; this is the first British title we have purchased North American rights to. London Triptych, a first novel, was widely acclaimed when published in the UK in 2010, and is now in its second printing. It was received rave reviews in the Times Literary Supplement, TimeOut London, and Attitude, among others.
The novel is remarkable for its scope, depicting London during three epochs: the 1890s, the 1950s, and the 1990s. The three interweaving stories document the lives of gay men: rent boys, aristocrats, artists, and criminals; in each story, the beating heart of the city comes vividly alive.
Comparable to the work of gay UK writers Alan Hollinghurst and Neil Bartlett.
Kemp was inspired to write this book by the Oscar Wilde obscenity trial (Wilde is a character in the 1890s story) and by his interest in the secret histories of male prostitution in London, the homosexual withhunt of the 1950s by British politicians and police, and his own experience living in London during the 1980s and 90s during the AIDS crisis.
Non-traditional market: LGBT.