Celebrate your freedom by reading a "not despicable" banned book recommended by Stephen Fry. Angus Stewart's novel Sandel
[and Kindle] charts the budding gay romance between an Oxford student, David Rogers, and a funny, bold choirboy named Antony Sandel who demands the best brand of shorts to show off his legs. Trouble is, David is nineteen and Antony is thirteen. More trouble: David becomes his tutor. Not everyone is supportive. Ditto the reaction when the novel was published forty years ago, although it did get some sympathetic reviews: The New Statesman called it, "a controlled and beautifully written love story . . . this is a superb stylistic feat," and the Sunday Telegraph said, "Mr Stewart has really succeeded with this young character, and in depicting a love which truly exists and is not despicable." Even the Times said, "'The writing is always intelligent, its sensual quality surprisingly beautiful."
Out of print for many years, used copies fetched astronomical sums on eBay. Last year Glenn Chandler's stage adaptation [photo] debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe and the paperback was reissued in this new edition. Watch a scene after the jump.
Comments