In the canon of gay male literature, Finistère has always held a unique place. By any standard, this novel’s contribution to the development of self-awareness was key for a generation of homosexual readers. How can we even relate today to the appearance of a book – in 1951 – that dealt so intimately with the emotions of the gay soul? Neither a dime-store pulp nor a moralistic condemnation of “perversion,” Finistère attempted to expose youthful passions and torments with honesty, but also with conviction.
Passions and torments were subjects that author Fritz Peters knew all too well. The details of Peters’ life reveal a man almost embracing conflict in his own sexuality. Were his works largely autobiographical? Without direct contact with the author, this question may never be adequately answered. However, this new edition of Finistère boasts a wealth of biographical information, almost entirely supplied by the poet Edward Field, to whom we are eternally grateful.
The text of this novel has been carefully transcribed from the 1952 Signet edition, complete with numerous anachronisms in editorial style: for example, cigarettes are “lighted” in this book, not lit. In the spirit of authenticity, we chose to remain faithful to the original text.
And, for the second time, Little Sister’s Classics is complemented with an introduction by gay literary scholar Michael Bronski, whose ongoing enthusiasm for the project adds ever more fuel to our fire. In one email exchange as we prepared this edition for print, Bronski wrote, “I was racing through, and rewriting, so much material yesterday – my office is covered with old paperbacks, notes, books on Gurdjieff, copies of reviews of Peters’ books – that I was a bit overwhelmed.” This is an image we shall cherish!
Finally, we would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Kate Peters, who has handled her father’s literary estate with patience and good humor. Without the involvement and understanding of family members, many of these books would become unavailable for entire generations of readers.
With great pride, we present the Little Sister’s Classics edition of Finistère.
– Mark Macdonald, 2006