The Naked Civil Servant (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

Reading Quentin Crisp's autobiography for the first time was an event for me when I was in my early twenties, and I still often recommend the book and remember some of its better bits and lines.Certainly not for everyone. Those who say Quentin is sarcastic, or self-loathing, are, I think, misreading him. He doesn't shy away from what's dark or sad about his life, but I think he managed to wrest a kind of happiness from all the failure and loneliness.What he was doing, it strikes me, is actually a kind of asceticism. He adopts a habitus with the express intention of eliminating certain kinds of choice from his everyday life, and he does this in order to attain a different kind of freedom: authenticity. Most of us struggle to figure out who we really are. Quentin dedicated his life to answering this question, whether you like the answer he gives or not, and this book is probably his most comprehensive statement on the topic.

I do feel that this review may be out of place here but here goes. In the mid 1980's I was lucky enough to meet Quentin as he was performing at the Donmar Theatre in London. I was introduced to him through a close friend of mine who was a leading light in the 'alternative theatre' world. Being a photographer I was able to photograph Quentin and he was very gracious. A few months later I was in NY and telephoned him and invited him to lunch which he agreed to and we had an enjoyable lunch and I photographed him yet again. I asked him this question -: 'How did he feel about being so inspirational to so many people both homosexual and heterosexual? I do not recall his precise words but he responded in a bemused manner as if it had never occurred to him before. I told him that I was a heterosexual man and had admired him for his courage and honesty in being just who he wanted to be and that he was an icon for many of my students. He thanked me and later sent me a short letter which I was able to read out to my students in Sydney. Many of them were very appreciative on hearing his words and they eventually bought the above book. When the play, based on his life and written by Tim Fountain toured Australia, I was able to contribute a few photographs for that book. The pics were cropped but nonetheless I admired Quentin and the play was well received. The book is called 'Quentin Crisp by Tim Fountain. The play toured during the last year of Quentin's life and describes that last year. Unfortunately Quentin never got to see the play which I felt so sad about. He was a courageous man and I felt very fortunate that I got to meet him. He inspired me to be a better person and I cherish the photographs I have of him.

My introduction to Mr. Crisp came when I saw the British television film based on this book. I was just coming out as queer, and I was riveted by the sense of self-acceptance that this character portrayed. I knew I wanted that kind of freedom in my own life, to live as honestly as possible. I found the British paperback of the book in British Columbia, and it became my constant companion. The book helped me to accept my transvestite nature, which had been a source of such scorn when I was an innocent child who wanted to wear play dresses when I played house with the neighborhood girls. Accepting my feminine nature was like embracing with safety and love the innocent child I once was, a child who was tormented for something he could not comprehend because it was a part of me that felt so natural.The writing is wonderful. Over time, Mr. Crisp came under much criticism from the queer community for some of his less popular opinions, but he was never swayed to change his mind and become a politically correct hypocrite, thank heaven. He celebrated the individual, and his style was, in essence, self-acceptance, if not self-love. His humor was charming and witty. I remember when one television interviewer asked Mr. Crisp about his dyed hair, and Mr. Crisp answered,"Some people have asked if it's a wig; but of course a wig would look more natural." I confess I've stolen that line, having a character in one of my short stories proclaim it.I return to this book again and again, and find much to admire, to adore. Perhaps Mr. Crisp wasn't happy in his homosexuality, but he has helped me to celebrate my own. A positive light, however bent.

One could not say this is a great book. It vacillates between being hysterically funny, dull, tragic, insightful, pedestrian, and very, very sad. It is hard to know whether Mr. Crisp was being sarcastic for the entire book or just being brutally honest, but for much of it, although he does bravely and boldly challenge society's norms by dyeing his hair and wearing clothes considered feminine for his day and age, he also seems to want to make a mad dash for his casket.There are many passages where he seems content to live in filth (the famous quote "after four years, the dust doesn't get any worse"), work as little as possible, or, if forced to work, do as little as possible, and somehow be able to skate through life on his wit.As the book draws to a close, it is sadly apparent that Mr. Crisp profoundly misunderstood the beauty and power of being alive (which, I will allow, is partially due to his being "different" and almost constantly punished for it), and does not seem to have had any really love in his life. He does make sharp observations, and he certainly was brave for being "out" in a day and age where everyone else was hiding. But his fearlessness in being "out" does not really cross over to any other part of his life, and as such, one gets the feeling that there were many missed opportunities.Also, in order to read the book, one must be willing to get past dated British slang and pop culture references of the day.It's an easy read, but if one thinks about it for too long, one will walk away feeling that although Mr. Crisp's actions were bold in his day, his life, at least according to this book, did not seem to reach its potential, although I'm happy (for him) that he seemed to reach some level of success as he got older.

This book is very, very cleverly written. At once funny, sarcastic, tragic and sad, it's written from the heart by an incredibly talented man who went through every possible situation that a gay man had to go through in those unenlightened times. There was love and tenderness, there was hate and violence, there was comradeship and there was extreme indolence and complete laziness - something, I think, made him the man he was - he simply couldn't be bothered with the effort of trying to be something he wasn't.Being gay was actually illegal at the time this book was written and people tried to supress their normal instincts and appear straight but Mr. Crisp just went for it and pulled out all the stops. He simply didn't want to be anything but himself - he couldn't be bothered to put in all the effort that acting straight would have involved and just went for it - big style!He was taunted, mocked, physically hurt, insulted - you name it, but did he give up and go in for straight-acting and hiding - no way! He was true to himself, went with his instincts and came out the other side a real, genuine person who remained staunchly adamant his whole life and ultimately benefited from his fidelity to his natural identity and personality. Eventually he had the love of millions of fans who simply adored him as he was - a real person who never wavered from his true purpose in life - to live it to the full without interference or criticism.If he'd been born today he'd have been celebrated as a rare and exciting individual from the word go and would have probably ended up being a massive TV star although he would have scorned it in the end as a waste of effort and retired to write ever-more scandalous books about his experiences - God bless him!

It's extraordinary to think that this autobiography, in which Mr Crisp describes his first 60-odd years, should now appear as almost an introduction to his life. This book and the subsequent film undoubtedly ignited his fame but it was the next 30 years that would make him a star.Intriguing from the start, we learn his most intimate details but not his real name. His passage through the 20th century reveals a view of England only an outsider could describe. In amongst the personal experiences we see the real nature of society and how its behaviour changes as a result of wartime bombing and post-war peace. How the majority revile him and how certain individuals (not necessarily gay) do not. It is a life affirming joy to learn that some not only accepted him as he was but also celebrated his commitment - even in those dark and uninformed days.I suppose this book unwittingly questions the notion of normalcy and how, whilst many seek to follow the path prescribed, the real nature of human beings and how they respond to the unusual is not set in stone.Nevertheless it does describe an eventual period of self-enforced penury in which he is frightened to leave his room. The final parts end quite bitterly as he considers how his inclinations and behaviour have led him to waste his life. But of course he didn't and the next chapter of his story was to turn this assumption upside down.I'm making this book sound rather dour and such an account in anyone else's hands would be a drab thing indeed. No, Quentin Crisp was a highly intelligent and joyously articulate man and his writings reflect this. His views often seem to contradict accepted beliefs but he does so in a manner that suggests considered thought with the benefit of high intellect. Comparisons with Oscar Wilde are misleading. He does not make comments intended to provoke, his views on Wilde are made clear.The Naked Civil Servant is a witty and highly enjoyable book. Although Mr Crisp has been regarded as something as a figurehead for the gay community this book should be read by everyone. As a story of a man outside society it's compelling and rewarding. And as a personal documentary on the attitude of society it's hard to beat.But mostly it's just so rewarding. Funny and tragic in equal measure you'll find yourself smiling and occasionally, as your eyes track through the words, realising you've stopped reading and are considering all of the extraordinary avenues of reason it suggests.

Curious and fascinating - not so long ago but it seems a space age away. I particularly loved the chapter on Portsmouth being the Mecca of Gay Life (until after the war) - and being one of Crisp's seminal life moments (this is shown as a Magical Realist moment at the end of the film starring John Hurt). I live in Portsmouth and only wish that the city was a Mecca for Gay Life now!

Quentin Crisp's autobiography still has the power to startle even half a century on. His dogged idiosyncracy is by turns hilarious, provocative, preposterous, inspiring, irritating, upsetting, moving ... despite his relentless attempts to be superficial he can't help being profoundly honest. Above all he's a human being.As a further badge of kudos for the quality of his writing: if you ever see the classic TV adaption of this book starring John Hurt, line after line direct from Quentin's typewriter made it verbatim onto the screen.

I've been meaning to read this book for years, and putting it off for fear it would disappoint.It didn't.It's fresh and funny and catty. Despite it reading more like a social history book in places, Crisp is never dull and his prose shimmers on the page and gives a touch of tawdry magic to everything he casts his eye and pen upon. I suspect he would have been an utter nightmare to have known in real life. There are times in the book I found him frustrating and just wanted to slap him, but goodness, when the muse is upon him he can really make you laugh, and some of his lines are absolute gems. I particularly liked his views on Morris Dancing.