Dance on My Grave

Last updated

Dance on My Grave
Dance on My Grave.jpg
First edition cover
Author Aidan Chambers
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Series Dance Sequence
Genre Young adult novel
Publisher Bodley Head
Publication date
1982
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages256
ISBN 978-0-370-30366-6
Preceded by Breaktime  
Followed by Now I Know  

Dance on My Grave is a 1982 young adult novel by British author Aidan Chambers. Its full title is Dance on My Grave: a life and a death in four parts, one hundred and seventeen bits, six running reports and two press clippings, with a few jokes, a puzzle or three, some footnotes and a fiasco now and then to help the story along. It is the second book in Chambers's six-novel Dance Sequence series.

Contents

It tells the story of a British teenager named Hal Robinson, detailing the events that led to his dancing on the grave of his slightly older friend, Barry Gorman, with whom Hal had a love affair. [1]

It was one of the first few young adult books published by a major publisher that depicts homosexuality [2] [3] without being judgmental and was included on ALA's [4] and other libraries' [5] list of books for gay teens. It has also been referred to in a number of books on children and young adult literature. [6] [7] [8]

Because of its gay-positive theme, it was challenged at the Montgomery County Memorial Library System in 2004 by the Library Patrons of Texas. [9]

Plot

Hal is a sixteen-year-old with a fascination with death and is unsure of his plans for the future. On a boating trip he accidentally capsizes, but is rescued by Barry Gorman, who takes him to his home to dry off. Hal quickly falls in love with Barry, seeing him as a person that brings direction and enjoyment into his life.

Barry invites him to work at his family's music store, as well as to trips to the movie theater and motorcycle riding. Barry brings up Hal's interest in death, telling him that one should confront death by laughing at it. He makes Hal agree to an oath that whichever one of them shall die first, the other shall dance on his grave. Though confused, Hal agrees to the oath and kisses Barry. Their relationship becomes intimate.

One day, Hal catches Barry flirting with a girl, Kari. He confronts Barry, to which he replies that whatever relationship Hal assumed was between them was over. Pressed further, Barry says that Hal wanted too much from him and that he was bored. Hal leaves angrily. He later learns that Barry had died in a motorcycle accident after he chased after him.

Distraught by Barry's death, Hal feels the urge to see Barry's body. Kari helps him sneak into the morgue, where the sight of the body reminds Hal of his oath. The first time he visits Barry's grave, he is overcome by anger and is unable to dance on his grave. Kari explains to Hal that the reason for his anger was that he over-depended on Barry for excitement; he preferred the idea of Barry rather than who he was. Hal returns to Barry's grave and dances on it, but is caught by a police officer and charged for the crime of damaging a grave.

A social worker tries to get Hal to explain himself so he won't be charged heavily in court. Hal initially refuses to talk, but later writes a full account of his relationship with Barry and submits it to the court. He is not charged with a crime. Hal decides to continue his education in order to let things settle. He promises to move on with his life, to not let his past control his future.

Translations

Dance on My Grave has been translated into at least 9 other languages in both Asia and Europe. [10]

Film adaptation

The book was the basis of the film Summer of 85 (Été 85) by French director François Ozon in 2020. [11]

Related Research Articles

William James Carter Mayne was an English writer of children's fiction. The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature calls him one of the outstanding children's authors of the 20th century and The Times Literary Supplement reportedly called him "the most original good writer for young people in our time". In 2004, he was convicted of sexual abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesléa Newman</span> American author, editor, and feminist

Lesléa Newman is an American author, editor, and feminist best known for the children's book Heather Has Two Mommies. Four of her young adult novels have been finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, making her one of the most celebrated authors in the category.

The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by Booklist magazine; administered by the ALA's young-adult division, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA); and named for the Topeka, Kansas, school librarian Mike Printz, a long-time active member of YALSA. Up to four worthy runners-up may be designated Honor Books and three or four have been named every year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Holleran</span> American novelist, essayist, and short story writer

Andrew Holleran is the pseudonym of Eric Garber, an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer, born on the island of Aruba. Most of his adult life has been spent in New York City, Washington, D.C., and a small town in Florida. He was a member of The Violet Quill, a gay writer's group that met in 1980 and 1981 and also included Robert Ferro, Edmund White and Felice Picano. Following the critical and financial success of his first novel Dancer from the Dance in 1978, he became a prominent author of post-Stonewall gay literature. Historically protective of his privacy, the author continues to use the pseudonym Andrew Holleran as a writer and public speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aidan Chambers</span> British author

Aidan Chambers is a British author of children's and young-adult novels. He won both the British Carnegie Medal and the American Printz Award for Postcards from No Man's Land (1999). For his "lasting contribution to children's literature" he won the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002.

Gay teen fiction is a subgenre that overlaps with LGBTQ+ literature and young adult literature. This article covers books about gay and bisexual teenage characters who are male.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian literature</span> Subgenre of literature with lesbian themes

Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics.

Michael Thomas Ford is an American author of primarily gay-themed literature. He is best known for his "My Queer Life" series of comedic essay collections and for his award-winning novels Last Summer, Looking for It, Full Circle, Changing Tides, and What We Remember.

<i>Postcards from No Mans Land</i> 1999 young-adult novel by Aidan Chambers

Postcards from No Man's Land is a young-adult novel by Aidan Chambers, published by Bodley Head in 1999. Two stories are set in Amsterdam during 1994 and 1944. One features 17-year-old visitor Jacob Todd during the 50-year commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem, in which his grandfather fought; the other features 19-year-old Geertrui late in the German occupation of the Netherlands. It was the fifth of six novels in the series Chambers calls "The Dance Sequence", which he inaugurated in 1978 with Breaktime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Gorman (writer)</span> American novelist (born 1941)

Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was an American writer and short fiction anthologist. He published in almost every genre, but is best known for his work in the crime, mystery, western, and horror fields. His non-fiction work has been published in such publications as The New York Times and Redbook.

<i>Singularity</i> (Sleator novel) 1985 novel by William Sleator

Singularity, published in 1985 by E. P. Dutton, is a science fiction novel for young adults written by William Sleator. It was listed as a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and was a Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee.

<i>One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies</i> 2004 novel in verse by Sonya Sones

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies (2004) is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. It is a young adult novel that tells the story of Ruby Milliken who is forced to go live with her famous movie star father, Whip Logan, in Los Angeles when her mother dies. Ruby is taken away from her friends and family, all of which she loves, and is forced to cope in the fake and artificial world of Hollywood. The novel is told mostly in blank verse with periodic interruptions of emails and letters Ruby exchanges with her friends. She soon finds herself torn between her old life and her new life.

<i>In Mike We Trust</i> 2009 book by P. E. Ryan

In Mike We Trust is a young adult gay novel by P. E. Ryan first published in 2009. It depicts a teenage gay boy who falls under the sway of his con artist uncle. The boy struggles with his sexual orientation as well as the need for honesty when his beloved role model asks him to lie.

<i>The Vast Fields of Ordinary</i> 2009 young adult gay novel by Nick Burd

The Vast Fields of Ordinary is a young adult gay novel by American author Nick Burd first published in 2009. The novel depicts the summer after high school graduation for a closeted suburban teenage boy, his openly lesbian new best friend, and the two boys he is interested in dating. The Vast Fields of Ordinary is Burd's debut novel.

<i>Now I Know</i> (novel) 1987 book by Aidan Chambers

Now I Know is a young adult novel by Aidan Chambers, first published in 1987. It is a meditation on faith and religion through three interlinked stories, which are told by means of letters, jottings, flashbacks, poetry and puzzles. The novel is part of the author's Dance Sequence, a group of novels which stand alone but can be read in relation to each other.

<i>The Toll Bridge</i>

The Toll Bridge is a young adult novel by Aidan Chambers.

<i>This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn</i>

This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn is a young adult novel by Aidan Chambers, published in 2005.

<i>Drama</i> (graphic novel) Book by Raina Telgemeier

Drama is a graphic novel written by American cartoonist Raina Telgemeier which centers on the story of Callie, a middle school student and theater-lover who works in her school's drama production crew. While navigating seventh grade, Callie deals with tween hardship, including confusing crushes, budding friendships, and middle school drama. It is a coming-of-age story that explores themes of friendship, teamwork, inclusion, and determination through Callie and her relationship with the people around her.

<i>Summer of 85</i> 2020 film by François Ozon

Summer of 85 is a 2020 romantic drama film written and directed by François Ozon, partly based on the 1982 novel Dance on My Grave by Aidan Chambers. It stars Félix Lefebvre and Benjamin Voisin.

<i>More Happy Than Not</i> 2015 young adult novel by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not is the debut novel by American author Adam Silvera, published June 2, 2015 by Soho Teen.

References

  1. "Dance on My Grave". Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  2. Eccleshare, Julia (18 May 2007). "Obituaries: Margaret Clark". The Guardian .
  3. "Contemporary Writers: Aidan Chambers". Archived from the original on 12 October 2009.
  4. "Bibliography for Gay Teens". 29 December 2009.
  5. "LGBT Books for Young Adults".
  6. Trites, Roberta Seelinger (2000). Disturbing the Universe: Power and Repression in Adolescent Literature. University of Iowa Press. pp. 104–107. ISBN   978-0-87745-732-9.
  7. Hunt, Peter; Ray, Sheila G. Bannister (1996). International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature . Routledge. p.  386. ISBN   978-0-203-16812-7.
  8. Trupe, Alice (2006). Thematic Guide to Young Adult Literature . Greenwood Publishing Group. pp.  43–44. ISBN   978-0-313-33234-0.
  9. "Banned Book List".
  10. "Books in Other Language translations and US editions".
  11. Peter Debruge, "François Ozon’s ‘Summer of 85’: Film Review". Variety , 14 July 2020.