“An invaluable literary document, Imre is also an unexpectedly absorbing fiction, here accompanied by an excellent scholarly apparatus.” — John W. Crowley, editor of Genteel Pagan: The Double Life of Charles Warren Stoddard|Winner of the 2003 Silver Medal for Gay/Lesbian Fiction, ForeWord Magazine Imre is one of the first openly gay American novels without a tragic ending. Described by the author as “a little psychological romance,” the narrative follows two men who meet by chance in a café; in Budapest, where they forge a friendship that leads to a series of mutual revelations and gradual disclosures. With its sympathetic characterizations of homosexual men, Imre’s 1906 publication marked a turning point in English literature. This edition includes material relating to the novels origins, contemporary writings on homosexuality, other writings by Prime-Stevenson, and a contemporary review.
James Gifford is a Professor of Humanities at Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica, NY. He is the author of Daynefords Library: American Homosexual Writing 1900-1913 (University of Massachusetts Press, 1995).