Private Worlds

‘Wonderful ... For anyone who has ever dreamt of leaving a small-town childhood behind them, this is going to wring your heart. It certainly did mine’– Neil Bartlett, author of Address Book

In 1950s suburban England, a friendship bloomed between Jeremy Seabrook and Michael O’Neill – two gay men coming of age at a time when homosexuality was still a crime. Their relationship was inflected by secrecy and fear; the shadows that had distorted their adolescent years were never wholly dispelled long into their adult life.

Lyrical, candid and poignant, this is a tale of sexual identity, working-class history and family drama. A memoir of unparalleled authenticity, Private Worlds is an elegy for a doomed friendship.

Jeremy Seabrook has been writing books for over half a century. His articles have been featured in the Guardian, The Times and the Independent. He has written plays for stage, TV and theatre, some in collaboration with his close friend, Michael O’Neill. His many books include People Without History: India’s Muslim Ghettos and Cut Out: Living Without Welfare.