Dennis Altman Livres

Gore Vidal, a prominent figure in American literature, has shaped political and social discourse through his extensive body of work, including bestselling novels, essays, and plays. His dual identity as a serious writer and a media celebrity has led to a complex legacy, marked by sharp critiques of American society that elicit both admiration and backlash. His influence spans over fifty years, making him a significant voice in contemporary discussions.

The book explores the deepening ties between Australia and the United States, particularly under Prime Minister John Howard's leadership. It examines the economic and military policies that have intensified this relationship, leading to concerns among Australians about the erosion of their sovereignty and national identity. The narrative suggests that the increasing alignment with U.S. interests has sparked fears that Australia risks becoming akin to America's 51st state.

So begins the dangerously funny classic The Executive created for an adult audience. First published more than fifty years ago, this brief and brilliant book skewers the 1960's executive set.

An avowed republican investigates the unexpected durability and potential benefits of constitutional monarchies. When he was deposed in Egypt in 1952, King Farouk predicted that there would be five monarchs left at the end of the century: the kings of hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades, and of England. To date, his prediction has proved wrong, and while the twentieth century saw the collapse of monarchies across Europe, many democratic societies have remained monarchies. God Save the Queenis the first book to look at constitutional monarchies globally, and is particularly relevant given the pro-democracy movement in Thailand and recent scandals around the British and Spanish royal families. Is monarchy merely a feudal relic that should be abolished, or does the division between ceremonial and actual power act as a brake on authoritarian politicians? And what is the role of monarchy in the independent countries of the Commonwealth that have retained the Queen as head of state? This book suggests that monarchy deserves neither the adulation of the right nor the dismissal of the left. In an era of autocratic populism, does constitutional monarchy provide some safeguards against the megalomania of political leaders? Is a President Boris potentially more dangerous than a Prime Minister Boris?

The claim that LGBT rights are human rights' encounters fierce opposition in many parts of the world, as governments and religious leaders have used resistance to LGBT rights' to cast themselves as defenders of traditional values against neo-colonial interference and western decadence.

Dennis Altman first travelled from Australia to the United States when Lyndon Johnson was President, beginning a long obsession with the US. In the early 1970s he was involved in New York Gay Liberation; his 1971 study Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation, is widely regarded as a classic work in its field. In the 1980s Altman lived in San Francisco during the onset of the AIDS epidemic. Later he sat on the Australian National Council on AIDS and international organisations including, as president, the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific. The election of Donald Trump took place while Altman was back in California on one of his frequent visits. In this diarised memoir, moving between Australia, the United States, Europe and parts of Asia, Gore Vidal, James Baldwin, Susan Sontag, Christopher Isherwood and many others people a story of a half century of activism, intellectualism, friendship and conflict.