Finistère is a 1951 novel written by American writer Fritz Peters. The novel is about a teenager who falls in love with his tennis instructor at a boarding school he was placed in after moving to France.[2] It details the issues on the effects of divorce and the problems faced with homosexual relationships during that time period.[3] It was a bestseller, receiving a first printing run of 350,000 copies.[4]
| Author | Fritz Peters |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux[1], Hirsch Giovanni Publishing (2024)[1] |
Publication date | 1951 |
| Pages | 356 |
| ISBN | 978-1957241081 |
Plot
editSet in the 1920s, the main character, Matthew Cameron, moves to France after his parents' divorce. He struggles to fit in until he forges a forbidden relationship with his tennis instructor, Michel Garnier. It focuses on the failure of their families and society to accept their same-sex relationship.
Reception
editThe novel was referred to as "very good" and "very depressing" by The Daily Telegraph.[5] Herbert West of The New York Times said it was "the best novel I have ever read on the theme of homosexuality and its tragic consequences in a world made up of selfish, ruthless, cruel, egocentric people."[6]
Adaptation
editThe movie rights to Finistère were acquired by Hirsch Giovanni Entertainment in 2020.[4] In 2024, it was released in audiobook format, voiced by Emile Hirsch.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Stewart, Sophia (5 June 2024). "A pioneering Queer Novelist, Reissued by and Unlikely Publisher". Publishers Weekly.
- ^ Laski, Marghanita (11 February 1951). "New Novels". The Observer.
- ^ "A Pair of Recent Novels". The Cincinnati Post. 10 March 1951.
- ^ a b Donnelly, Matt (23 February 2022). "Fritz Peters, Early LGBTQ Literary Icon, Coming to Screens and Bookshelves in New Rights Deal". Variety.
- ^ "New Fiction". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "The Author of the Best-Selling Novel The World Next Door has a New Book". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Donnelly, Matt (5 June 2024). "Emile Hirsch to Narrate Audiobooks of Pioneering Queer Author Fritz Peters". Variety.