Brian Anderson

Dr Brian Anderson received his DPhil from The University of Oxford for a thesis on John Stuart Mill, the nineteenth century philosopher; father of modern liberalism. He has held research and teaching posts at universities in the UK and overseas. His first book " The Fraternity of the Estranged" (published by Troubador) explores the lives and work of three nineteenth century men: Edward Carpenter; John Addington Symonds and Havelock Ellis and the fight against Victorian attitudes to gay men, at a time when Oscar Wilde and many other men were prosecuted and imprisoned for being gay. His second book, "Edward Carpenter : a Victorian Rebel Fighting for Gay Rights" focuses on Carpenter, who chose to relinquish his privileged life to live as a gay man among the working classes in the north of England. Dr Anderson charts Carpenter's tortuous journey from conforming youth to trail-blazing pioneer of gay rights. The book analyses the central theme of Carpenter's life-long work - the assertion of the right of gay men in Victorian society to social acceptance and equality before the law; predating the demands of the contemporary LGBTQ+ movement.