Escal-Vigor

Escal-Vigor (1899) is a novel by Georges Eekhoud. Recognized as a groundbreaking work of LGBTQ literature, Escal-Vigor was praised by some of Belgium’s leading critics upon publication, but also led to a trial in which Eekhoud was accused of obscenity. Acquitted, he managed to retain his reputation as a leading writer in Belgium and continued publishing novels and stories, often on homosexuality, until his death in 1927. “Henry, whose nature was passionate and philosophy audacious, told himself, not without reason, that through his affinities, he would feel himself at home amid these beautifully barbarous surroundings, where natural instincts reigned.” Having lived freely around Europe, Henry Kehlmark returns to his family’s ancestral home, ready to settle down in the role of Dykgrave, or Count. Soon, however, his cosmopolitan ways draw the attention of the local villagers, who mistrust Henry and question his intentions. When the Count strikes up a romantic relationship with the burgomaster’s son, an impressionable youth, he risks violent reprisal as a homosexual living in proximity to a traditional, insular people. For once in his life, however, Henry feels like he can be himself, living truthfully and without fear, able to separate himself from the pressures that dogged so many of his loved ones, now deceased. When word of their relationship gets out, however, Henry discovers the limits of provincial hospitality. This edition of Georges Eekhoud’s Escal-Vigor is a classic work of Belgian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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