Gay Men of Letters Sydney

Meeting at the usual place, upstairs at The Shakespeare Hotel, Surry Hills, Sydney, we will be discussing The Night Listener by Armistead Maupin.

The book is a psychological novel about a successful radio storyteller who develops a close relationship over the phone with a gravely ill teenage boy named Pete, only to become increasingly uncertain whether Pete and his story are real. Inspired in part by a real-life literary hoax, the novel explores loneliness, trust, and the unreliability of memory.

The novel is relatively short and has been described as one of Maupin's most accessible standalone novels. It was later adapted into the moderately faithful 2006 film The Night Listener, starring Robin Williams.

Available from the usual places including Amazon and Ebay (about $30) and for free from our friend Anna. Otherwise, contact me for a free pdf at dalemills@cantab.net

Trove says that there are about 5 copies available from local libraries through an inter-library loan (City of Sydney charges $3.50 for this service).

We meet upstairs in a semi private room conducive to group discussion. There will be about 10 of us there. Look for the sign or ask at the bar.

Meeting at the usual place at The Shakespeare Hotel, Surry Hills, central Sydney, we will be discussing The Man Who Fell in Love With the Moon (1991).

This is a coming-of-age novel. Written in a poetic, unconventional style, the novel is a celebration of queer identity and a dark meditation on survival, desire, and the need to find one’s own place in the world.

Available in hard copy from ebay, amazon, or local libraries. Contact Anna or be for a pdf at dalemilles@cantab.net

As usual, we will be meeting upstairs at The Shakepeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, on Thursday 12 November 2026.

The End of Eddy is a semi-autobiographical novel about a gay boy growing up in a poor, working-class village in northern France. It follows Eddy, as he struggles against a violent culture of poverty and social exclusion. It was orginally titled En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule (2014)

Growing up in a very rough environment, Eddy is mocked for his effeminate voice, mannerisms and interests. He gets bullied at school and treated with contempt at home.
A central theme is Eddy’s attempt to escape the identity imposed on him. Education is his escape, where he leaves his village and constructs a new identity. The book ends not with a simple triumph but with the painful recognition that escaping poverty and prejudice also means distancing himself from his family and origins.

It is a relatively short book, and easily available online and through the inter-library loan service of local libraries. Copies available from our friend Anna. Contact Dale for a pdf on dalemills@cantab.net

We meet upstairs. Look for the sign or ask at the bar. We are a friendly lot and welcome newcomers.