{"product_id":"the-world-the-flesh-and-myself-by-michael-davidson","title":"'The World, the Flesh and Myself' by Michael Davidson","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"\" data-turn-id-container=\"request-6a5d7430-35d8-83ec-8537-639937f3e813-0\" data-is-intersecting=\"true\"\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-6a5d7430-35d8-83ec-8537-639937f3e813-0\" data-turn-id-container=\"request-6a5d7430-35d8-83ec-8537-639937f3e813-0\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-134\" data-turn=\"assistant\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-8 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-conversation-screenshot-content=\"\" class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"322cec2a-2d85-4d4c-b06c-a4db43a940f3\" data-turn-start-message=\"true\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-6-thinking\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full light markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-start=\"56\" data-end=\"548\"\u003eMichael Davidson’s memoir begins from a declaration that, in 1962, was both startlingly frank and legally dangerous.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"550\" data-end=\"1373\"\u003eThe result is a memoir that's both candid and ethically difficult. Davidson writes with considerable charm about friendship, war, journalism, sexuality and the succession of places and people that formed him, while describing desires and relationships that cannot simply be absorbed into a contemporary narrative of queer liberation. The book matters partly because it refuses the sanitising categories later applied to queer history: it preserves a voice produced under criminalisation, secrecy and social danger, but also demands that the reader distinguish historical candour from moral innocence. Arthur Koestler reportedly named it among the best books of 1962; its endurance lies less in agreement than in the unnerving completeness with which Davidson makes a compromised life intelligible. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1375\" data-end=\"1557\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuartet Books, 1977 paperback edition, with foreword by James Cameron. Light rubbing, handling wear and mild creasing to covers; pages clean and binding sound.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"bower studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45869405732947,"sku":null,"price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0689\/0268\/2707\/files\/Yourparagraphtext-2026-07-27T173620.401.png?v=1785137902","url":"https:\/\/bowerbooks.com\/products\/the-world-the-flesh-and-myself-by-michael-davidson","provider":"bower books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}