The Youngest Director (20th Century)

'Mr. Goff writes compassionately and he has a gift for bringing out the drama in people's ordinary confrontations with each other.' - Sunday Times

'A sophisticated book which demonstrates the conflict between private desires and public eminence.' - John O'London's

'[R]ewarding . . . a story that is altogether plausible, entertaining, and not weighed down with tragedy.' - Mattachine Review

At 32, Leonard Bissel seems to have everything going for him: newly appointed as the youngest director of a major London corporation, he has a posh house in Chelsea, a shiny black MG, and a promising new relationship. There's just one problem: Leonard's boss and his family expect him to marry, not knowing that he is secretly gay and wants nothing more than to settle down in a stable relationship with his partner, John. As Leonard's employer and his parents increase the pressure on him to marry, he will be faced with an impossible decision: is he willing to give up his job, his family, his home, and everything he's worked for in order to remain true to his own identity and the person he loves?

Published in 1961, when homosexuality was still illegal in England, Martyn Goff's The Youngest Director is a landmark of British gay fiction. A gripping story exposing the injustice and prejudice faced by gay men in the mid-20th century, Goff's novel remains highly topical today as gay rights and the struggle for marriage equality continue to dominate the headlines. This edition, the first in 30 years, includes a new introduction by Martin Dines and an afterword by the author.