Two significant critical assessments of gay literature, published in New York just weeks apart, illustrate the continuing gap separating the works of lesbian and gay novelists from the embrace of the mainstream publishing world. On June 7 the Publishing Triangle, a Manhattan-based organization made up of lesbians and gay men in the publishing industry, released its ranking of the 100 Best Gay and Lesbian Novels. Compiled by a jury of 14 judges, all of them authors or editors, …
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…be reduced to ranking of the top 100. I am not unsympathetic to that perspective, but I also recognize the fact that even people with Updike's intellect and sophistication continue to have so little curiosity about the reality of gay people's lives. If the Publishing Triangle's picks have any impact on improving the appreciation for the insights and artistry of gay and lesbian literature--even if only within our own community--that improvement will have justified the effort.