You don’t have to be a particularly keen reader to understand that the novels of Henry James (New York, 1843 -London, 1916) have an extremely elegant, dense and complex structure. absence noisy: sexuality. It’s not worth saying that this is one perfect victorianHe is an upper-class American who spent most of his life in England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and voicing these aspects was in poor form at the time. No longer published ‘My dear son’ (Elba), letters addressed to the young Norwegian sculptor Henrick C. Andersen These works, in which it is easy to appreciate the author’s feelings and impulses, shed new light on his personality.
James, a euphemism for homosexuality at the time, was never known to have romantic relationships with women – not to mention that one of the biographies of James, who managed to create wonderful portraits of women, revealed that the author was young ‘Another development’ To extinguish the fire, he stuck a crowbar into his lower abdomen, which according to some sources would cause infertility and according to others, impotence.
His ‘friend’ Wells
Suspicion of the then lonely and cautious James’ homosexuality circulated among his contemporaries and even led to some evil. H.G. Wells –The author of the book ‘War of the Worlds’ and his so-called friend- will publish the novel encrypted ‘Blessing’ In 1915, just a year before James’ death; A writer who James “discovers nothing” but does so “in the most detailed way possible” and whose specialty, he ruthlessly imitates, is “to be one of the most extraordinary minds”. are present when it comes to detailing, but lack the ability to penetrate. Actually, your problem is penetration”.
James follows the characters through their psychological changes and polished prose. wishes They tend to stay batik and they only become apparent in an elliptical manner. What better example of what it means to keep your sexuality under lock and key than the author’s own novels? It took a long time, until the 90s of the 20th century, for the author to begin to be examined in the light of science. gay Theory It will be concluded that James’s style resulted from an effort to remain anonymity.
family protectors
But James wasn’t the only one interested in hiding his true feelings. Upon his death, his family and especially brother Williams’ widow The famous philosopher and his two sons later took responsibility for this work. heritage and force remove all homoerotic references in the publication of his correspondence in favor of the novelist’s reputation.
Many of the letters were addressed to his younger friends, and even after his exile they did not escape the notice of those who knew his tendencies. The family continued to mourn. “People give a malicious interpretation of stupid cards “This strict control continued even in what is considered the author’s canonical biography, the five-volume book written by Leon Edel, which details his entire life with obsessive meticulousness, although not the slightest mention of these letters or the author’s sexual secrets,” his aunt wrote. not mentioned.
And the last volume was published 1972, a time when someone starts assuming they are gay more socially acceptable. But the family remained determined. So much so that they disapproved — except for the faithful Edel — of scholars turning to the letters preserved at Harvard in a chapter that may have been part of one of James’s most famous works. ‘Aspern Papers’.
Released in Italy
It took some time for the letters to Andersen collected in ‘Dear Son’ to be published. Restrictions lifted at Harvard In 1973. Almost 30 years later, in 2000, they finally saw the light, but it had to be at the Italian publishing house Marsilio, which included Elba’s imprint. In her foreword, editor Rosella Mamoli highlights “the multitude of expressions expressing desired physical contact” […] and the reader will find for himself countless examples. grasping and shaking hands and arms”, acts against Victorian social rules, but James is grateful for his family’s generosity, hastening to add that these letters cannot be seen as a way of validating the author’s dark sexuality.
Andersen, who was not the only “darling child” to receive more or less heated letters, but also maintained a longer epistolary relationship, was immediately acquainted with the mature writer. seven times in 16 years. Protected from this relationship 77 letters from James and just four of the sculptor, who eventually became an American citizen but spent most of his life in Rome, which for the novelist was the epitome of beauty and art.
“Leave [mi bendición] “It rests on your shoulder and rests on it, light as a dove whose wing you can caress with your cheek: sit there as long as you can,” he wrote. And also: “I cherish the most intimate love for you, and I trust that you will feel it in every pulse of your soul and senses.” Or: It’s very subtle by the parameters of the 21st century, but that doesn’t make it any less intense.