Persky is a very underrated writer in Canada. Partially, this is due to his chosen writing form--essays (although he began as a poet). Essay writing is still considered a dry, academic form in North America but Persky draws upon the more pleasurable personal/philosophical essay tradition of Montaigne and Roland Barthes. He is very open and insightful about his homosexual desires, but it would be a shame if his readership was limited to only those who share his sexual preference(s). Here's hoping that he begins to receive the wider attention he deserves and that he helps revive the essay tradition in North America.

A fascinating hybrid of a philosophical meditation on love and a diary of Berlin summers, Persky's book breaks so many rules to thrilling effect that he should be enshrined as Chief Literary Outlaw. Persky is so fearless in investigating the basis for his feelings about his work, his obsession with a young rent-boy in Berlin and his friends that he virtually dares the reader to become exasperated with his waffling about reaching any premature conclusions. The miracle of his writing (and thought process) is that he keeps us fully engaged in his conversation with himself until exasperation turns into affection and complicity. Persky's love of teaching (he is a professor of philosophy in Vancouver, BC) is clear here both explicitly (he talks about his concern for his students at length) and implicitly (the entire book becomes an example of a unique teaching style). Persky, who is proudly over 60, takes pains to make sure we know that his own libido is exuberantly healthy (bravo!). If he had anything to do with approving the fabulous cover art for the book, he certainly insured that the libido of every reader will be sent into overdrive every time the eye catches the cover.

This is an unusual book - a travelogue of Eastern Europe from the perspective of a middle-aged gay tourist looking for boys. I suppose I should have guessed what I was getting into on the basis of the cover illustration. The fact that the longest chapter is titled "Boyopolis/Berlin" is another tipoff.

Stan Persky tells us a lot about himself - in fact, too much. He is a fiftysomething philosophy professor who grew up in Chicago and now lives in Vancouver, Canada. He is a non-practicing Jew who has participated in protests against Israel. And when Stan hits a new city such as Berlin, he spends his time in "pederast bars" (a phrase used in the book) to look for boys. Some readers will find this titillating and others not, but you have been warned.

My greatest disappointment about this book is that Stan Persky tells us too little about Berlin itself, beyond the gay-cruising circuit. His Berlin tales of boy-hunting could just as easily be set in any large city. Berlin, which is the focus of the book, is one of the world's most interesting cities, but I felt I learned very little about it. On the other hand, the chapters covering other cities give the reader more of a flavor of local politics, culture, and history. Berlin, Budapest, Sofia, Vilnius, and Tirana receive the greatest coverage.

I was dissapointed after being tantalized by the title. I fully expected much more anecdotal evidence that a gay lifestyle exists in Eastern Europe...instead it reinforced the sterotype of a bleak and gray people. Which is not true, Eastern Europe is fascinating and quite gay. Maybe someone will do this subject justice next time around