Gillian Freeman (1961 - )
Biography
Gillian Freeman was born in London in 1929. She graduated in English Language and Literature from the University of Reading in 1951. As a novelist she took advantage of the increasingly liberal climate of the 1960s to tackle controversial subjects such as homosexuality. Her novel The Leather Boys, written under the pseudonym of Eliot George and published in 1961, was filmed, with a screenplay written by Freeman, in 1964. Directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Rita Tushingham, Colin Campbell and Dudley Sutton, this was not the first film to tackle the subject but has become a cult classic.
In 1967 Gillian Freeman caused a stir with a work of non-fiction The
Undergrowth of Literature, a study of contemporary publications
devoted to fetishes and dominant and submissive relationships. Along
with more novels and work for radio and television, she has continued
to write non-fiction, most of it less controversial, notably her study
of the author Angela Brazil The Schoolgirl Ethic.
--http://www.library.rdg.ac.uk/colls/special/freeman.html [Oct 2004]
The Undergrowth of Literature (1967) - Gillian Freeman
But the book for which Gillian Freeman will best be remembered was of a much more spicy and sensational nature. In 1967 she caused a minor commotion with the publication of 'The Undergrowth of Literature', a study of the contemporary publications that dealt with dominant and submissive relationships, and with the publications devoted to material fetishes, such as leather or rubber. It was published by Thomas Nelson & Sons, and was reviewed in the 'Times Literary Supplement', 'London Magazine', and the 'Financial Times', so it was a mainstream publication available at any bookshop. The introduction was by Dr. David Stafford-Clark, a high profile psychiatrist of the time. However, while many works of art begin as 'underground' or 'fringe' productions and then enter the mainstream, 'The Undergrowth of Literature' has moved in precisely the opposite direction. It has been out of print now for more than thirty years, and second hand copies have gained a kind of mystical 'underground' aura which the original hardbound book never possessed. Hence Gillian Freeman could be summarised as a female writer with interests in the cinema, a love of British culture, including popular culture such as 'schooldays' novels, and an interest in the world of petticoat discipline and related subjects, which led to the writing of what is now regarded as one of the definitive 'classics' in this domain. I never met her, but I have always thought that we had a lot in common.The Undergrowth of Literature (1967) - Gillian Freeman
The Undergrowth of Literature (1967) - Gillian Freeman
Panther, London, 1969
(originally published by Thomas Nelson, 1967)
image sourced here.
But the book for which Gillian Freeman will best be remembered was of a much more spicy and sensational nature. In 1967 she caused a minor commotion with the publication of 'The Undergrowth of Literature', a study of the contemporary publications that dealt with dominant and submissive relationships, and with the publications devoted to material fetishes, such as leather or rubber.
It was published by Thomas Nelson & Sons, and was reviewed in the 'Times Literary Supplement', 'London Magazine', and the 'Financial Times', so it was a mainstream publication available at any bookshop. The introduction was by Dr. David Stafford-Clark, a high profile psychiatrist of the time.
However, while many works of art begin as 'underground' or 'fringe' productions and then enter the mainstream, 'The Undergrowth of Literature' has moved in precisely the opposite direction. It has been out of print now for more than thirty years, and second hand copies have gained a kind of mystical 'underground' aura which the original hardbound book never possessed.
Hence Gillian Freeman could be summarised as a female writer with interests in the cinema, a love of British culture, including popular culture such as 'schooldays' novels, and an interest in the world of petticoat discipline and related subjects, which led to the writing of what is now regarded as one of the definitive 'classics' in this domain. I never met her, but I have always thought that we had a lot in common. --http://www.petticoated.com/undergrowthoflit.htm [May 2005]
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