Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade in Queereaders

Sep 05, 2010 Tosh rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, american-author

A remarkable world that Samuel Steward lived in. A collage professor turned tattoo artist who also happened to be a great sex adventurer - Justin Spring really captures the underground world of Gay sexuality and life in the 20th Century. But for that we have to be thankful for Steward's zeal for keeping track on all his sexual adventures. Steward built up an erotic museum of sorts - and this gentleman of pleasure is a wonderful figure in Gay social history. Essential read for anyone who is inter ...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Dana rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbt

I don't generally read biographies, so I have nothing to compare this to, but it seemed a little too much like a re-telling of all Steward's sexual exploits without enough historical context or details about his life outside of his sexual encounters. I do realize that was the most significant thing in his life, but it wasn't the only thing. I would've liked to know more about his teaching, for one, or his friendship with Emmy, which spanned decades but was only mentioned in passing.
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Nov 18, 2012 Scott rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbt

Samuel Steward was a literary figure I have never heard of but was willing to explore him because of the actual title of this biography. How can you miss out on reading about such hobbies under one man? As homosexuality (a.k.a. both Phil Sparrow and Phil Andros as his life evolves down different paths - all influencing each other in his life's work) becomes more socially acceptable and represented through activism, visibility, art, literature, etc...Steward himself removes himself even further f Samuel Steward was a literary figure I have never heard of but was willing to explore him because of the actual title of this biography. How can you miss out on reading about such hobbies under one man? As homosexuality (a.k.a. both Phil Sparrow and Phil Andros as his life evolves down different paths - all influencing each other in his life's work) becomes more socially acceptable and represented through activism, visibility, art, literature, etc...Steward himself removes himself even further from what he considers risky or "out." As he ages, he identifies his own oppression by justifying why he cannot fit in with a variety of social circles (whether they are of a subculture or not.) He is fearful of being recognized as "gay" even though the creative and activist world around his Berkeley neighborhood evolves. His sexual encounters (as recorded and offered to for Kinsey's sexual research) were the constant fuel he needed to write and create his art. This being said, his oppression stems from the past fear of condemnation for illustrating and collecting all things considered pornographic.

Professor, turned tattoo artist, turned erotic/pornographic author, Steward's pre-Stonewall life involved him being surrounded by the likes of Thornton Wilder, Gertrude Stein, Alice Toklas, and eventually Thom Gunn and Tom of Finland. He is celebrated in this biography through his writing depicting him as a huge influence for gay culture represented in gay literature. Steward began illustrating all sexual facets of gay culture in an era where there were no subcultures defined yet...no leather bars, no bears, no radical fairies, etc... This was the era where every homosexual gravitated toward one labeled destination...(i.e. one specific neighborhood or one bar.) Being "out" was criminal. Collecting or documenting sexual activities was worthy of jail time. This in itself strained his overall ability to move from being radical in an underground sense to being radical in a proud of visible sense. He definitely has the literary street credentials from his relationships with several notable literary authors to support his visibility. It wasn't until his late 70's that Steward began to receive letters thanking him for his bravery and influences on his students as a professor. Here, he began to accept and feel the praise for his life's work.

As I read through this biography, I respected and admired the relationships Steward had with several notable actors, authors and personalities. From Genet and Cocteau to Mapplethorpe. His collected letters and journals are imbedded throughout this work and are often translated with care and respect for Steward and those literary greats. However, the actual editing on the biographer's behalf was often wordy, and became heavy on the replacement parentheses when paraphrasing or quoting journals and letters sent to him from his peers. This caused the reading of the correspondences from T[h}or[t]o[n] [Tok]las and [Stein] to read in a disjointed manner. I would have preferred to read and decipher these letters on my own; adding more mystery and intrigue to the underground that Steward seemed to love to inhabit. ...more

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Dec 29, 2011 KC rated it really liked it

Fascinating read of a very much ahead of his time gay pioneer. Would have loved to meet and talk with Samuel Steward. Great bibliography in the book too.

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