Friday, August 24, 2007

Gay-Book-Dar

Just yesterday someone asked me whether it's easy finding gay-themed novels in Malaysia.

An unusual and surprising question since I - obviously wrongly - assumed that the gay readers here number only 5 at the most. After all even Charming Calvin takes almost a month to finish a good-sized bestseller.

Me, I have an obsession bordering on mania. My friends would certainly attest to the fact that I'm usually the first to jump on any particularly queer sounding novel in the new booklist. While sniffing through a pile of dusty paperbacks, even the faintest tinge of the rainbow has me picking it out. Some have gay-dar, I have a better gay-book-dar.

Sharing secrets
Come follow me, I know where they hide all the good stuff...

Those books certainly aren't easy to find though.

For one thing unlike other more tolerant countries, it's nearly impossible to find specialized sections for gay-themed novels. Not that I'm a particular fan of clumping all gay-themed literature ( does that make every other book straight-themed lit? ) in a separate ghettoized section but it does make easier browsing. Some time back, one of the larger chain bookstores even had a small niche set aside surprisingly but that area has since faded into obscurity leaving the pink novels tossed helter skelter amongst the rest of the unfabulous hoi polloi.

So it's a bitter near-futile struggle through a mindless haystack for that particular pink feather. And a really rare feather too. Let's face it, a large number of our disco-dancing queer brethren wouldn't dream of spending their time reading when they'd prefer spending the night rubbing up against thirty other sweaty, half-naked studs on the glittery dancefloor. Hence gay novels probably get a limited publication with obscure publishers which reduces the chances of them ever appearing on our shelves.

And these days its getting even harder. Not that gay-themed novels are banned precisely - or at least I don't think it is - but these days booksellers are a little more cautious about bringing them in. Same goes for regional online bookstores ( oh the betrayal! ) unfortunately as they apply a blanket censorship for all. No need to rock the boat with the scissor-happy censors after all. Only the more... straight-acting novels make it through. Glossy book covers that are a bit too explicit with barechested Adonises going at each other with full abandon are a no-no in this puritanical state. Same goes for book titles that are overly suggestive such as Nasty : Erotic Tales of Hunk-humping and Man-loving.

Even certain notorious authors ( and publishers ) receive an automatic shake of the head at the information counter.

Paul : Do you have Patricia Nell Warren?
Salesperson : One moment... let me check, sir.
Paul : Yes?
Salesperson : Umm.. I'm sorry, sir but we can't bring those titles in.
Paul : Because it would cause widespread havoc and mayhem in the nation as previously heterosexual men start getting jiggy with each other?

Censorship seriously pisses me off.

Talk about a serious deterrent to budding readers. Not sure how it is but I assume there's a tenacious homophobic fellow up there ( certainly my lifelong nemesis ) hiding in the censorship bureau who goes through all the upcoming booklists feverishly searching for the slightest taint of homosexuality hoping to stop the following from infecting the innocent masses by setting up pink warning flags.

Sharing secrets
I sense an evil gay presence out there...

Perhaps some of these deeply conservative Victorian prudes imagine that merely browsing through a book about rapacious man-sex would inevitably turn the highly suggestible readers gay. If only it were that simple. Hell, I've been reading frothy chick-lit romances with overenthusiastic muff-diving scenes followed by the relentless search for the elusive G-spot - and yet I haven't been tempted to journey where no dedicated gay man has gone before.

Still as gay novels slowly sashay into the mainstream runway even making sporadic appearances in mystery and fantasy, it's getting a bit harder for that determined fellow to track their furtive movements so every once in a while some books slip through the cracks. Search slowly and patiently through the racks of books with a keen eye and you might find a gem. There are always subtle tell-tale signs about a novel ( or even a hot guy come to think about it ), certain key words and fey expressions, that particular distinguishing look on the cover...

And that's where the gay-book-dar comes in :)

Perhaps even find that the hot target Jules Cassidy has finally done the near impossible ( a Force of Nature really :) ) by scoring with the elusive Robin Chadwick.

14 comments:

Janvier said...

A frothy chick lit, to get you in the hots for a girl's G-spot? Won't you be picturing the lady's role in the first place? :S

Does our neighbor Sporeland fare any better bookstore-wise?

poof said...

Let me assist you on that.

NAHHHHHHH

I think the censorship is just as tight as yours, if not, even more tight assed..

Really would kill for some mature uncensored reading for once, not all are about humping you know...

coolgardy said...

I thought that Kinokuniya has a section called Gender Studies...wonder if its still there...?

rainbow angeles said...

Errmmm... ever thought of writing yourself? ;)

A Lewis said...

"We CAN'T bring those titles in" or "We WON'T bring those titles in." A very good question. I'd follow the dude up the ladder if I were you.

Anonymous said...

Gee, someone's stuck up in your censorship board. He needs to feel something up his hole to loosen him up. Hehehe. So what titles do you recommend?

Medie007 said...

i bought a gay-theme at kinokuniya last time. forgot the author, it was entitled "closet case"... didn't find any more now when i go there... maybe i bought the one and only they ever imported. haha

ruff nurse-du-jour said...

I’m never a fan of reading gay-themed novels, or of novels for that matter. Oops, by the way, does Brokeback Mountain count?

Contrary to your bookstores, there is much much freedom in bookshops here in Manila. Such books are everywhere. Would you want me to find you those titles? =)

Ryan said...

Ooh... gay-themed novel huh?! I want!

'The Spot of Bother' is not really a gay-themed novel. But with some gay characters in it has satisfied my 'thirst'. Know any other books like that?

William said...

Even religious text in printed in certain languages create a furore le, what more something they don't understand and is afraid of?

hbjock said...

Hmm I haven't read a really good gay novel since "Density of Souls" by Christopher Rice. It'd be great to read a real tear-jerker....

Oh by the way... just to let you know, some idiot hacked into my webhost's server so I had to move to another host and get another domain. So I can now be found at www.hbjock.org instead of .com... see ya!

Dave said...

Hey try this...MPH in Singapore are selling gay theme novels and novels that looks like somekind of erotica flicks openly.

If you want graphics, try the 101 sex guide at Borders. :)

Anonymous said...

Expecting Malaysia to import those books is impossible and it also means slitting their throats ...

I'd agree it's hard to find gay-themed books here and the censorship isn't nice, for sure.

Bah!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this and answering my question :)

So it seems Malaysia is kinda like Indonesia, stricter even. And it makes me do the same thing like you do every time I visit a bookstore, squatting and craning my neck, scanning row by row looking for some suspiciously-looks-like-gay books. I even made a list of gay books and printed them (ten pages or more) as my guide when I’m in a mission of looking for gay books.

When a new branch of Kinokuniya open a year ago, I found some gems, a few gay novels from Kensington, the ones where the cover is the naked chest of a hunk, also two gay erotica (total porn!). I guess I was so lucky, then. Sadly, after that it seemed that Kinokuniya put a stop of that kind of book. I found some serious and old gay books on two local bookstores that specialized on imported books.

But, gay comics/manga from Japan that have been translated into English (yaoi) come through and the explicit ones can be ordered. I was also able to order two young adult gay books, one by Mark Roeder and The Rainbow Boys at Kino.

And thanks god that I’ve lost my interest on chick-lit romances, because just focusing on gay-themed books and Japanese comic is enough to drain my money.