Tony Duvert Day

Tony Duvert was, as is known amongst writers of the period, one of Frances greatest writers. Just that no one can admit it: he liked young boys – todays’ biggest curse and taboo.
He died in abject solitude and poverty, alone, his body found only 4 weeks after he died.
He won one of Frances highest prize (medicis) for a book on a very controversial theme, even then. It proves both the extraordinary talent he had to be offered the prize despite the public outcry, and a sign of the times also.
Another tribute to his art is that his books, at least 3 or 4 of them survived the witch hunt (of all artists and their works who dared to suggest children and adolescents have a sexuality that likes to express itself),and he was never taken off the shelves in France, his book always available at the FNAC’s for instance.
I knew him through a friend of his, and after major successes, and having foretold the moral regression that would push his sexual liberation ideals, he, completely helpless, saw his worst nightmares come more real than he feared. From 1990 he closeted himself in the countryside (the same as in ‘When Jonathan died’?), and let himself die slowly.
It will need our society to come out of this absurd sexual hysteria (which it will), in a more natural society, before his talent will be remembered: he was a truly outstanding writer. ‘Quand Mourut Jonathan’ (when jonathan died) is a late work, and written in the most completely pure, honest and astoundingly evocative style. It remains (even though I didnt share his ideal love) one of the most moving books I have read to date, and strongly recommend reading the french version, but also the english version-which is particularly well translated.

The same thing, by the way, is happening to photographer Bernard Faucon.