AS THE EPICENTER OF RADICAL HUMANISM AND ARTISTIC ENLIGHTENMENT, FLORENCE BECAME THE PARAMOUNT CRUCIBLE OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE. Independent thinkers broke free from the constraints of the preceding millennium. Against this backdrop, the following tale gives voice to the long-suppressed desires and identities of those who suffered the dominant assumption that heterosexuality is the default and most ‘normal’ form of sexuality and gender.
To that effect, Meeting Donatello is a work of historical fiction that transports the reader into the clandestine world of a homosexual gathering of influential Florentine men convened to honor the legendary sculptor. It deals frankly and unapologetically with themes of homoeroticism and alternative sexual orientation. At the heart of the narrative, the protagonist finds himself drawn into this hidden community, confronted with the temptations and challenges of reconciling his longings within the constraints of social norms.
In my formative years of reading classic literature in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, I never encountered a homosexual love story. Did anyone, for that matter? How I pined for a novel that told of Patroclus and Achilles beyond what Homer wrote, or a Shakespearean play in which Odysseus endured hardships to return to a male lover, or a tale of Diana’s lyrical affair with a nymph like Daphne.
Since ancient times, ruling powers across societies have sought to erase us from mainstream cultural life, denying our existence—and they have largely succeeded. To this day, LGBTQ+ people face severe punishments, including death, in many regions of the world. Erasing us from literature is merely another act in this campaign. Yet the historical record remains incomplete. Centuries later, the truth resurfaces: we were always here, shaping the world as it unfolded.
What would English literature be without Oscar Wilde and Radclyffe Hall? The latter has yet to receive full recognition, but does anyone question the nature of Dorian Gray’s relationship with Basil Hallward? Imagine how much more we would have gained if censorship had not curtailed the author’s genius.
This is where I step in, writing in the 21st century, at a time and place where I may speak freely. In Meeting Donatello, I will expose you to period-evocative prose that grapples with timeless questions of identity, desire, and the search for life’s meaning. The language used throughout is authentic to the Renaissance, incorporating archaisms, Middle English cadences, and time-forgotten vocabulary that lies dormant in our collective mind.
Meeting Donatello continues my literary revisionist quest, reclaiming the classic canon by restoring marginalized voices cast into obscurity. These voices will challenge your conceptions and linger in your thoughts long after the last word fades.
Rio de Janeiro, Winter of MMXXV
- Publisher : Ethorn Publishing
- Publication date : September 26, 2025
- Language : English
- Print length : 34 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-6501418148
