Bertram Cope's Year (1919)

In 1918, when Henry Blake Fuller was 62 years old, he completed the manuscript of a novel, Bertram Cope’s Year. Though Fuller was well known as an accomplished realist and had published twelve previous novels, this work was his first published fiction to address the topic of homosexuality. In the novel Bertram Cope, a handsome young college student, is befriended by Medora Phillips, a wealthy older woman who tries to match him with several eligible young women. However, Bertram is emotionally attached only to his friend and housemate, Arthur Lemoyne. The novel’s portrayal of their friendship is subtle but has clear overtones of sexual attraction. Largely dismissed by contemporary critics, who were uncomfortable with its cynical portrayal of heterosexual relationships, the novel is now considered a pioneering work of both American realism and gay literature.