Iolaus: An Anthology of Friendship

If any one should importune me to give a reason why I loved him [Stephen de la Boëtie] I feel it could no otherwise be expressed than by making answer Because it was he; because it was I. -from Montaigne on Friendship Socialist advocate progressive educator and amateur mystic Edward Carpenter is perhaps best remembered today for his conflicted homosexuality and his name remains a rallying point of gay communities in Britain. This circumspect 1902 work draws on and quotes from a panoply of impressive sources from the Iliad and Tacituss military commentary to Saint Augustine and Herman Melvilles account of his 1841-5 journey through the Pacific Islands to explore the idea of friendship-that is male homosexuality-in cultures around the planet and throughout history. This lovely book is a poignant reminder of a more cautious time. British activist and writer EDWARD CARPENTER (1844-1929) produced books and pamphlets on a wide variety of subjects; his works include Prisons Police and Punishment (1905) and The Religious Influence of Art (1870). He is best known for his epic poem cycle Towards Democracy (1883).