Joseph M. Ortiz - Gordon Merrick and the Great Gay American Novel

Joseph M. Ortiz

LEXINGTON BOOKS

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Ortiz, Joseph M., 1972- author.

Title: Gordon Merrick and the great gay American novel / Joseph M. Ortiz.

Description: Lanham : Lexington Books, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022011944 (print) | LCCN 2022011945 (ebook) | ISBN 9781793635648 (cloth) | ISBN 9781793635655 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Merrick, Gordon. | Authors, American--20th century--Biography. | Gay authors--United States--Biography. | Gay men in literature. | Romance fiction, American--History and criticism. | LCGFT: Biographies.

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022011944

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022011945

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

For Paul

Writing this book has been a labor of love. Over the very long course of its gestation I had the pleasure of meeting many smart and generous people, some of whom I now count among my friends. This book would not have happened without them.

My most inexpressible gratitude goes to the members of Merricks family who helped me research his life and very graciously allowed me access to their letters, photographs, and memories. Charles Hulse made possible an archive in the first place, and I will be forever grateful for his hospitality and his support of this project. Lawrence Hulse cheered me on in the final stages, and his assistance at the end was critical for the project. I am incredibly thankful to Eleanor Perry Merrick and Rodney and Meg Merrick, whose generosity made a significant part of this book possible. Vaughan Merrick was a helpful and charming emissary along the way.

Many friends and associates of Gordon Merrick also shared their memories and wit, which were a constant source of pleasure and inspiration: Mitch Douglas, Jeannie Sakol, Elmer Luke, Gerard Raymond, Steven Jongeward, Victor Gadino, George McDonald, Robert Wyatt. Some of them are no longer with us, but they have all touched this project in a significant way.

One of the biggest joys of this project has been the opportunity to meet scholars and writers whom I greatly admire. Their encouragement of this book has been both humbling and ennobling. Chief among these is Ian Young, a friend and mentor who has been an unflagging advocate for this book. His gentle prodding and reminders are part of the reason why this book has finally seen the light of day. Drewey Wayne Gunn was also a selfless supporter of the project, and I regret that he could not see the final fruits of his contribution. Brandon Judells heroic efforts in recovering his interview tapes of Merrick not only helped me fill in gaps in the biography but they also made it possible for me to hear Merricks voice for the first time. For that I am deeply thankful. Jerry Rosco, in addition to providing the perfect model for a biography, happily alerted me to Merrick letters at Yale. Ann Scotts expert translations of French magazine articles helped me discover a previously unknown chapter of Merricks career. Other people who graciously provided helpful information and support were Debra Bazarsky, Matthew Bell, Christopher Bram, John Champagne, Alexander Chee, Joe Cosentino, Jerry Goldberg, Rex Hatfield, Andrew Holleran, Daniel Jaffe, Dominic Janes, Richard Just, Charles Kaiser, Richard Labonte, Paul Lanner, Daniel Lazar, Michael Nava, Amit Paley, Anthony Guy Patricia, Felice Picano, Andrew Reynolds, Mark Ritter, Irene Rockwood, Howard Rosen, Nicholas Salvato, Richard Schneider, Bruce Smith, Clifford Sofield, Susan Stryker, Tim Teeman, and Edmund White.

This book had its origin in the Princeton University Library, and I cannot express enough my appreciation for the librarys steady support of this project over many years. I want especially to thank AnnaLee Pauls, Margaret Rich, Rosalba Varallo Recchia, Valerie Stenner, and the other people in the Department of Special Collections who helped make my research in the library both pleasant and productive. Louis Aaron was helpful in securing a photograph from the Daily Princetonian . Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the Friends of the Princeton University Library and the Fund for Reunion at Princeton University, whose timely research grants at the early stages of my research were instrumental to my continuation of the project.

Several other libraries also provided valuable resources and assistance. Many of these libraries went above and beyond the call of duty during the Covid-19 pandemic, when physical travel to archives was impossible, and I am profoundly grateful for their commitment to research. A Zwickler Memorial Grant from the Cornell University Library Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections allowed me to research the early reception of Merricks gay novels. Lauren Theodore at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, was heroic in her efforts to get Merricks OSS file to me in the midst of the pandemic shutdown. I was also aided in my research by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University, the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University, the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand, and the Manuscripts and Archives Division at the New York Public Library.

At Lexington Books I have been fortunate to have as an editor Holly Buchanan, who has been encouraging and helpful throughout the process. I would also like to thank Megan White and Linda Kessler for their expert work in shepherding the book through production.

The University of Texas at El Paso has been an ideal place for my research and teaching, and I am deeply grateful for the students and faculty who continue to motivate me on a daily basis. Maryse Jayasuriya and Brian Yothers gave much helpful advice as I was preparing to travel to Sri Lanka to interview Charles Hulse. For their friendship and encouragement of my work I also wish to thank Ernie Chavez, Lucia Dur, Ruben Espinosa, Andy Fleck, Bruce Louden, Robert Gunn, Mimi Gladstein, Jonna Perrillo, Marion Rohrleitner, Tom Schmid, and Barbara Zimbalist. I particularly want to acknowledge a generous grant from the Mimi Reisel Gladstein Endowment in English Literature that will help this book reach a larger audience.

Living in El Paso these last nine years allowed me to be closer to my family, my parents George and Martha Ortiz, and my brothers George and Gabriel. They are a constant reminder of how blessed I have been.

Finally, I want to thank my husband, Paul S. Hinkle Jr. I cannot imagine a more unwavering champion of this book or a more perfect partner in life. I like to think that reading gay novels helped make me husband material, but in truth it is Paul who taught me how to be