HERVEY, Harry.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Congaï. First edition, otherwise untraced in recent commerce, of the first American novel on Indochina. The book's exploration of French colonialism and the titular protagonist's subversion of the colonial order has given it a renewed appeal in the 21st century.Having travelled to Asia as a young man, Hervey (1900-1951) wrote novels and scripts set in the region and conceived the story for the 1932 film Shanghai Express. He studied Buddhism for a period in Burma and was friends with the Chinese national figurehead Sun Yat-Sen. Hervey's career was overshadowed by intolerance towards his homosexuality: "Reading his works, three of which are now back in print (with a biography looming), you'll find a discernible gay fingerprint on almost everything he touched" (Greene).

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