I just picked up Clive Barker's latest book on paperback, "Coldheart Canyon".
This will be the first book of his I've ever read, though I am familiar with most of the films based on his books.
At the start of the book, in the acknowledgements section, he begins by giving a dedication.
I'll quote him from the book....
"Let me begin with the dedicatee of this book, David Emilian Armstrong, my husband and in every sense of the word my partner."
Forgive me for being blunt.
Is Clive Barker gay?
It's really no big deal to me if he is or not.
It sounds like he is.
Anyone?
He's been out of the 'closet' for something like ten years now. After having lived in San Francisco for several years, and having read his books when they first splashed on the scene in the mid to late eighties (not too mention some of the more uh, interesting, imagery in Hellraiser and Nightbreed) man, when he came out as gay....you could have knocked me over with feather, didn't see THAT coming from a few miles away in big, big neon letters and rousing music by a marching band and a dykes on bikes escort leading the way...uh-uh...no way, caught me COMPLETELY off guard, that news.
;)
You kids...
Thanks for the info "Zilla".
This is all news to me as I previously admitted that I'm a 1st time Barker reader and never knew diddly-squat about him.
I'll bet that A LOT of others on this here phorum had no idea either!
Well, we do now.
I had suspicions based on the content of a few short stories I'd read
Chadzilla wrote:
> when he came out as gay....you could have
> knocked me over with feather, didn't see THAT coming from a
> few miles away
Similar to when Rosie O' Donnell came out. Had to take down the conterfold.
It comes through in a lot of his work, though not as overtly as some writers. I've read stories by some gay authors in which every character is gay or think they might be, and it adds nothing to the story.
I've seen most of his films and read one of his books (the one with the story Candyman is based on) and I had no idea he was gay.