A guest post by Maurice Greenham, to mark World AIDS Day 2013
When Thom asked if I would be interested in contributing an article for World AIDS day about the portrayal of HIV and AIDS
in literature, I jumped at the chance. It offered me an opportunity to review
and add to my considerable collection of books on the topic. Why me? I have no
doubt that my living with HIV for 29 years had something to do with it. Just to
put you in the picture: I was diagnosed HIV positive in 1984, when I thought I
would rapidly become ill and die of AIDS. I didn’t! Instead I found I was
asymptomatic, staying fit and active enough to pursue a successful career in
professional theatre. That came to an end with an almighty crash in 1994 when I
became seriously ill, was hospitalised with an AIDS diagnosis and given six
months to live. Those six months extended to 19 years, to become the most
fulfilling and productive yeats of my life. There is nothing like the imminence
of death to sharpen the mind and to make one appreciate the value of life in
the present moment.
1996 Demarcation Line
The portrayal of AIDS leading directly to an inevitable
painful and distressing death is to be found in the works of authors such as
Larry Kramer (The Normal Heart 1985),
Derek Jarman (Chroma, 1993) or Edmund
White (Farewell Symphony, 1997). In
my view, the year 1996 serves as a rough demarcation line between a frequently pessimistic
depiction of HIV and AIDS in literature that contrasts dramatically with a body
of much more optimistic works afterwards, when effective anti HIV drugs became
available. Highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, was a game changer
not only for people living with HIV, but also for the representation of HIV and
AIDS in novels, short stories and plays. This duality of perspective offers the
modern writer a handy tool when dealing with HIV and AIDS as a central theme or
when making use of them as subsidiary threads in an intricate web of counter
plots.
Tough pictures
Kennedy’s Brain
(2005) by Henning Mankell, translated from the Swedish by Laurie Thompson,
falls into the latter category. Although Henrik, one of the central characters of
the novel, is revealed to be HIV positive, Mankell essentially uses his status as
a means to introduce old, long disproven AIDS conspiracy theories. These, along
with similarly speculative intrigues about the assassination of President
Kennedy, are devices employed by the author to create suspense. The lack of any
precise period in the novel allows Mankell to exploit the fear associated with
the pre-1996 description of HIV and AIDS. Personally, I found the book
disappointing; in part on account of its unconvincing portrayal of HIV.
There are no such misgivings about The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín, shortlisted for the 1999
Booker Prize. Declan, the gay brother of Helen (the pivotal figure in the story)
is introduced early in the narrative; it is only later as the novel progresses that
we discover he is HIV positive and becomes seriously ill with AIDS related conditions.
Whilst Tóibín shows a depth of understanding about HIV and AIDS that is lacking
in Kennedy’s Brain, it is not
central; rather, in a more subtle manner, he uses Declan and his condition as a
catalyst to reconcile the three strong female characters. Although it is
Declan’s illness that dictates the pace of the drama, it is really the battle of
female animosities and resentments that shape the psychological heartland of
the book. Set in the early 1990’s amongst the rich traditions of rural Donegal,
Tóibín creates an astonishing piece of writing. He brings together three
generations: Dora Devereux, her daughter Lily and her granddaughter Helen who
after years of strife reach an uneasy truce brought about by their common
concern for the seriously ill Declan. Richard Canning in his review of in the
Independent considered The Blackwater Lightship as a mature, philosophical work
which moves stylishly between dialogue, introspection and objective narration
in a manner reminiscent of Virginia Woolf.
Biographies
Of the numerous biographies of people living with or directly
affected by HIV, I have selected three that have personal significance. Denholm Elliott, Quest for Love (1994)
is the biography of the British actor. Denholm became infected with HIV in 1987
and died of AIDS-related tuberculosis at his home on the island of Ibiza in
1992. His widow Susan, in collaboration with Barry Turner, produced a
comprehensive and surprisingly frank account of Denholm’s extraordinary life.
As Susan explains in the introduction Denholm urged her to write a book about
their lives together; he insisted that it must be an honest book or there would
be no point in doing it.
HIV affected only the final five years of Denholm’s life;
however, in this period he completed 18 films, including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Return from the River Quai and Noises Off. He is the only person to win
three consecutive BAFTAs for best actor in a supporting role. On stage and on
screen he was notorious for stealing the scene. In his obituary in the
Independent, Gabriel Byrne, who played the lead in In Defence of the Realm, amended the old actor's cliché to: 'Never
work with children, animals or Denholm Elliott.'
Although I never got to work with Denholm, I got to know him
through a mutual friend who was Stage Manager on A Life in the Theatre, Denholm’s last appearance on stage. At his
home in Ibiza, he was excellent company and enjoyed sharing salacious stories
about his past, until disrupted by a disapproving glance from Susan. Later
after his death, I returned to visit the project set up in Denholm’s memory. Susan
had set up a charity in a former hotel complex on Ibiza called Can Bufi, where
people who are HIV positive could enjoy a free holiday. Sadly, Susan died in a
fire at her home in London on April 12th, 2007.
Freddie Mercury and Me (1994) was written by Jim Hutton with Tim
Wapshott. This is a touching account of the relationship between the rock
superstar and Jim Hutton. It is perhaps Freddie’s resilience after his HIV
diagnosis to keep working to ensure that ‘the show went on’ that touched me
most. He was as an inspiration when I was devastated after being given my own
AIDS diagnosis in 1994. Like Denholm Elliott, Freddie’s life with HIV was
relatively short: he was diagnosed HIV positive in 1987 and died from AIDS
related pneumonia in November 1991.
Elton John's autobiography Love is the Cure – On
life, loss and the end of AIDS (2012) is
significant not only because it details the story of the Foundation that bears
his name, but also because if recounts the story of Ryan White, a young Indiana
boy ostracised by his town and school on account of the HIV infection he had
contracted from a blood transfusion. It was Ryan’s inspiring life and
devastating death that led Elton to two realisations: his own life was a mess,
and he had to do something to help stop the AIDS crisis. Elton’s life spans the
divide of pre- and post HAART. Consequently the final tone of his autobiography
paints a far more optimistic picture of HIV than any of the previously
mentioned books.
Although I have not benefitted personally from the Elton
John AIDS Foundation, the National Long Term Survivors Group (HIV) of which I
am a member, owes the Foundation an eternal debt of gratitude for making it financially
possible for a large number of HIV positive people to profit from one of our
residential Living Proof weekends who otherwise would have been unable to do
so. This considerable subsidy over a three year period also helped to promote
the group and to increase its membership, leaving it in a much healthier state
than before.
The book is also dedicated to overcoming the stigma and
discrimination surrounding HIV and AIDS. To this end Elton includes stories of
powerful allies in this fight such as friendships with Ryan White, Freddie
Mercury, Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Diana. An interesting if at times
emotional read.
HIV Positive Authors
Given the nature and history of HIV and AIDS it is perhaps
surprising to find that Larry Kramer, the writer connected with the early ‘gay plague’
years, should still be around in 2013. Larry Kramer was a founder member of
GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crises), and the catalyst for the foundation of the AIDS
protest group ACT UP. When he was expelled from GMHC for being too militant, he
took an extended trip to Europe visiting the Dachau concentration camp, which
he was surprised to discover was set up in 1933 and neither the Germans nor any
other nations had done anything to stop it. This experience spurred him to
write the award winning stage play The
Normal Heart (1985). Larry has adapted the play to produce a film version
due to be released in 2014. The film, directed by Ryan Murphy, will star Matt
Bomer, Mark Ruffalo, and Julia Roberts. In addition, his considerable output
has included important serious non-fiction works such as Reports from the Holocaust: The Story of an AIDS Activist (1989) as
well as many works of fiction and numerous plays for the stage and screen.
After the Supreme Court struck down the Defence of Marriage
Act in June 2013, Larry Kramer decided it was time to tie the knot. At the age
of 85 he married his long-term partner the architect David Webster in the
intensive care unit of New York University Langone Medical Centre. Throughout
his life he has been a fierce advocate for gay and lesbian rights as well as
one of the world’s leading AIDS activists. He was amongst the first HIV
positive people to have a liver transplant, and has led the field as an HIV positive
gay writer and outspoken public speaker. Susan Sontag, writing about the New
York production of Just Say No, A Play
About a Farce,(1988), said “Larry
Kramer is one of America's most valuable troublemakers. I hope he never lowers
his voice”.
David James
Although not in the same sphere as Kramer, David James' autobiography
45 Year 45 Lives (2009) has a
charming honest narrative quality that makes it undemanding to read and easy to
relate to the author's struggles with the departure of his father when he was an
eleven year old boy and the consequences that followed. David graphically relates
his travails in coping with his own sexuality and the difficulty he has in his relationship
with his new stepfather. Throughout the ups and downs of a series of jobs and
partners, his mother provides a pillar of strength that helps him come out as
gay and, perhaps more importantly, when he is diagnosed HIV positive. After
taking us across the globe to North Africa and America, the book ends with reconciliation
and a serene acceptance of life with HIV. David’s story shows how fear can
motivate, how tragedy can devastate, and the fundamental importance of a
mother’s love. In his 45 years David has accomplished a great deal, it will be
interesting to discover what he does next.
Edmund White
Few writers would turn down the chance of a Harvard
doctorate programme to follow a lover to New York, but that is just what Edmund
White did when he chose instead to work at Time
Life Books and to freelance for Newsweek.
He is an accomplished, erudite and prolific writer of numerous works. His
fiction is confidently blatant in its explicit descriptions of gay sex. Born in
1940, Edmund White acquired HIV in 1985.
It was one of his earliest novels A Boys Own Story (1982) that first drew him to my attention and
left me enthralled by this iconic figure. The
Farewell Symphony (1997) that has been described as a monumental
achievement, whilst Anthony Quinn, in the Daily Telegraph, considered it to be no
less than a secret history of gay sexuality from the late 1960s onwards that
plays out, in the shadow of AIDS, a forlornly moving elegy to a generation.
White’s nonfiction books include States of Desire (1980), The
Burning Library: Writings on Art, Politics and Sexuality 1969-1993 (1994)
and Sacred Monsters (2011) to name but a few. He has written landmark biographies
of Genet (1993), Marcel Proust (1998)
and Rimbaud: The Double Life of a Rebel
(2008). According to Wikipedia, Edmund White is currently a professor of creative
writing in Princeton University's Lewis Center for the Arts: not bad for
someone who initially chose love ahead of academia.
Mark Ravenhill
Born in 1966, Mark Ravenhill is one of the foremost English
playwrights who has produced such provocative pieces as Shopping and Fucking (1996), Some
Explicit Polaroids (1999) and Pool
(No Water) (2006). He writes as a gay man living with HIV who lost a
partner to AIDS, so when HIV crops up in his plays, you know that he is
speaking with the authority of personal experience. In 2012, this talented
writer and director became the Royal Shakespeare Company's Writer in Residence.
Frederik Peeters
I wanted to include Blue Pills (2001,
English translation from the French by Anjali Singh), a
positive love story about a serodiscordant couple, because of its relevance to heterosexual
readers. It begins with a teenage house party where Fred (HIV negative male)
meets and eventually falls in love with Kati, an HIV positive female who has a
three year old son, also HIV positive. It is a touching story of how the couple
negotiate each social, domestic and psychological hurdle to take care of each
other and the little boy. This is a graphic novel, so you are guaranteed to
find a portrayal of HIV unlike any other. As the date and the Blue Pills title indicate, Peeters wrote
this refreshingly honest and revelatory account in the post HAART era;
nevertheless, there are some scary moments.
Conclusion
There are so many more writers that I would have liked to
have discussed, but time prevents me from doing more than to mention a few
names and titles that I think are worth reading. These include April Fool’s Day (1993) by the
successful Australian novelist Bryce Courtenay, who writes a moving account of
his younger brother Damon, a haemophiliac who contracted HIV from infected
blood plasma and died from AIDS on April 1st 1991 (hence the title).
It is also an indictment of the arrogance, aloofness and uncaring attitudes of
health care professionals in Australia in the early years of the AIDS crisis
there, but at the same time is a testament to a loving relationship that Damon was
able to have with his remarkable girlfriend Benita.
What Sounds Like Crazy
on a Normal Day (1997) the debut novel by Pearl Cleage, charts the story of
a black businesswoman following her HIV diagnosis. This is a gritty tale,
using earthy language that portrays HIV from a black female perspective, with a
strong feminist agenda.
Armistead Maupin is the well known author of the six volume
chronicle about San Francisco commencing with Tales of the City (1978) and concluding with Sure of You (1989) in
which his character Michael (Mouse) Tolliver is diagnosed HIV positive… leaving readers to
believe that after the end of the book he will die of AIDS. However, no doubt reflecting
the changing HIV landscape after 1996, Maupin ‘resurrects’ this much loved
character with an amusing sequel Michael
Tolliver Lives (2007).
Other works well worth looking at: Angels in America (1995) Tony Kushner; The Swimming Pool Library (1988), The Line of Beauty (2004) Alan Hollinghurst; In the City of Shy Hunters (2001) Tom Spanbauer; Before Night Falls (1992) Reinaldo
Arenas; The End of Innocence (1994) Simon Garfield
Happy reading!
Maurice
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