Righting My World is a collection of writings over the past half-century from the acclaimed professor of politics and gay rights activist, Dennis Altman.
From the inauguration of Richard Nixon to Trump’s America, from Gay Liberation to the AIDS crisis and beyond, Dennis Altman has been both a participant in the changing times and an acute observer.
The publication of Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation in 1971 heralded his arrival as an exciting new voice in the movement for gay rights and in Australian writing.
And alongside his longer works, Altman has honed his craft and vision in literary journals, the queer press, academic forums and daily newspapers.
This collection captures the sense of Australia and the wider world as it was and as it is, charting the course of a conversation about civil rights and cultural change, while at the same time highlighting the persistence of prejudice and the value of art.
Interspersed with personal essays reflecting on Altman’s cultural heritage, grief and ageing, Righting My World is a powerful and illuminating chronicle.
Dennis Altman AM is the author of numerous books, including Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation, which has been described as the first serious analysis to emerge from the gay liberation movement. He is a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow and Professorial Fellow in the Institute for Human Security at La Trobe University.
In 2008, Dennis was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for service to education as an academic, social and political commentator, to the community through raising awareness of human-rights issues and to the development of HIV/AIDS policy. He is a patron of the Australian Queer Archives and the Pride Foundation.
“This new book by Dennis Altman explains why he has been a hero most of my life. From university days to AIDS conferences, protests, the arts, national and international politics. Even occasional glimpses of sport, sex and pop culture. America has Gore Vidal. Australia presents (with a drum roll) the still extraordinary Dennis Altman.” – The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG, former Justice of the High Court of Australia
Righting My World is published by Monash University Publishing and is available at all good book retailers including QBD Books.
Image: Righting My World – courtesy of Monash University Publishing