Gillian Freeman’s 1961 novel The Leather Boys is being republished in the UK by Dead Ink Books as part of their Outsider Classics collection. It is available to buy from 20th November.
The Leather Boys tells the story of Dick and Reggie, two working-class young men in London who are part of the same motorcycle gang. The gang provides Dick with the means to support his sick grandmother and provides Reggie some relief from his loveless marriage. The two become fast friends but soon discover their feelings for each other are much stronger.
Gillian’s novel was the first to offer an authentic portrayal of love between working-class young men. It remains a groundbreaking classic of gay fiction and played a vital part in liberalising British attitudes towards homosexuality.
Gillian was a novelist and writer for stage, screen and radio, who sadly died in February 2019. She published 13 novels, including The Liberty Man (1955) and The Leader (1965), both of which were republished by Valancourt books in 2014.
