Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, often associated with the first wave of West Coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction." He was openly gay.

Life

Born in 1937 in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, Victor J. Banis was the tenth of eleven children born to William and Anna Banis. As a small child, Banis moved with his family to Eaton, Ohio, where he lived on a farm and finished high school in 1955. While still in grade school, he began writing

Nancy Drew Nancy Drew is a Fictional character, fictional character appearing in several Mystery fiction, mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwriter, ghostwritten by a number of authors and published ...

-inspired mysteries featuring his classmate Carol Peters, now the writer Carol Cail. In his memoirs, he writes about growing up in severe poverty. On his own, he lived for a brief time in Birmingham, Alabama, before moving to Dayton, Ohio, where he worked in sales and floral design. In 1960 he moved to Los Angeles, where he lived for 20 years and had his first literary success. He rapidly turned out a number of important novels, and he and his partner, Sam Dodson, collaborated on a number of nonfictional gay works as well as a few, generally insignificant novels. They also published magazines and edited for DSI, a Minneapolis publisher. Banis served as a tutor for various aspiring writers and acted as their de facto agent. He championed the early writing of mystery writer Joseph Hansen, among others. In 1980, he moved to Big Bear in the San Bernardino Mountains, and then in 1985 to San Francisco, where he worked as a property manager. In 2004, he retired and took up residence in Martinsburg, West Virginia. There he returned to writing full-time.

Writings

Banis's first published work was a short story, "Broken Record," that appeared in the Swiss gay publication '' Der Kreis'' in 1963. His first long work of fiction was ''The Affairs of Gloria'', a heterosexual romance with a few lesbian scenes inspired by the recent popularity of novels with lesbian themes; it was published in 1964 by Brandon House, a Los Angeles paperback publisher. The novel was indicted by a federal grand jury in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, for conspiracy to distribute obscene materials in a government scheme to crack down on materials deemed pornographic. Although some of his co-defendants were found guilty, Banis himself was acquitted. He continued to write both straight and bisexual novels for Brandon House, but incensed by government

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

, he was increasingly drawn to depicting the struggling gay scene that was yet barely chronicled in American literature. His first significant work of fiction was the innovative novel ''The Why Not'', 1966. A series of intertwining sketches of habitués of a Los Angeles gay bar, it was the first gay work published by a San Diego firm,

Greenleaf Classics William Lawrence Hamling (June 14, 1921 – June 29, 2017) was an American writer, science fiction fan, and publisher of both science fiction digests, and adult magazines and books, active from the late 1930s until 1975. He was a lifelong me ...

. Finding the novel sold well, editor-in-chief Earl Kemp asked Banis to submit other gay novels. Thus was born ''

The Man from C.A.M.P. ''The Man from C.A.M.P.'' is a series of ten gay male pulp fiction, gay pulp fiction novels published under the pseudonym of Don Holliday. The original nine were written by Victor J. Banis between 1966 and 1968; a tenth by an uncertain author ap ...

'' (1966). The success of the original novel was so great that Banis went on to write eight sequels (1966-1968). The series is historically important for several reasons. It was the first gay mystery series, already five in number before George Baxt could follow up on his success with ''A Queer Kind of Death'' (also 1966), and the C.A.M.P. novels depicted what is probably the first openly out and joyfully unrestrained gay hero in American letters, the indomitable undercover agent Jackie Holmes. Banis wrote under a number of pseudonyms for Greenleaf, Brandon House, and Sherbourne Press. They include Victor Jay, J. X. Williams, Jay Vickery, and others for his

gay pulp fiction Gay pulp fiction, or gay pulps, refers to printed works, primarily fiction, that include references to male homosexuality, specifically male gay sex, and that are cheaply produced, typically in paperback books made of wood pulp paper; lesbian pulp ...

works. However, upon the success of ''The Gay Haunt'' (1970), published by

Maurice Girodias Maurice Girodias (12 April 1919 – 3 July 1990) was a French publisher who founded the Olympia Press, specialising in risqué books, censored in Britain and America, that were permitted in France in English-language versions only. It evol ...

in his ''Traveller's Companion'' series, Banis moved away from the gay genre. He began writing heterosexual

Gothic romance Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

s, again under a variety of pseudonyms. Jan Alexander and Lynn Benedict were two of the most popular. In 1977, he moved into more mainstream publishing with a historical novel, ''This Splendid Earth'', written under the byline V. J. Banis and published by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

. Its success led to a sequel and opened doors at Warner Books and

Arbor House Arbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specializing in hard cover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being ac ...

. But by 1980, he was feeling burned out and ceased publishing. In the early years of the new millennium, Banis found himself approached by various scholars seeking information about the history of gay publishing during those crucial years in the 1960s. Their number included Hubert C. Kennedy, Michael Bronski,

Susan Stryker Susan O'Neal Stryker (born 1961) is an American professor, historian, author, filmmaker, and theorist whose work focuses on gender and human sexuality. She is a professor of Gender and Women's Studies, former director of the Institute for LGBT Stu ...

, Fabio Cleto, and Drewey Wayne Gunn. In 2004, Professor Cleto of the university in Bergamo, Italy, contacted Haworth Books about republishing three of the early C.A.M.P. novels and convinced his own university to publish Banis's memoirs, ''Spine Intact, Some Creases''. In 2006, Bill Warner of GLB Press brought out a second trilogy of C.A.M.P. novels, and Michael Burgess of

Wildside Press Wildside Press is an independent publishing company in Cabin John, Maryland, United States. It was founded in 1989 by John Betancourt and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both trade ...

began republishing others of Banis's long out-of-print novels. Banis began writing fiction once again. He appeared in a number of anthologies. ''Come This Way'', a collection of new and some old stories along with excerpts from earlier novels, was published by

Regal Crest Enterprises Regal Crest Enterprises (RCE), established 1999, is a small press publisher of lesbian literature. As of January 1, 2021, RCE became an imprint of Flashpoint Publications and is based in Ohio. Since the publication of its first title in 1999, ...

in 2007 with an homage from Drewey Wayne Gunn. The same year, Wildside Press published ''Avalon'', a heterosexual romance set in the 1940s through the 1970s, and Carroll and Graf published the gay Western romance ''Longhorns'', with an informative essay by Michael Bronski, his first new novels in more than thirty years.Bronski, Michael. "Looking for Victor Banis." ''Longhorns'' by Victor J. Banis. (New York: Carroll & Graf 2007), pages vii-xiv.

List of selected works

# "Broken Record," in '' Der Kreis'', 1963, by Victor J. Banis – short story # "David Victorious," in ''One'' magazine, 1963, by Victor J. Banis – poem # ''The Affairs of Gloria'' (Brandon House 1964) by Victor Jay – novel # ''The Why Not'' (

1966;

2007) by Victor J. Banis – novel # ''

'' (Greenleaf Classics/

Leisure Books Leisure Books was a mass market paperback publisher specializing in horror and thrillers that operated from 1957 to 2010. In the company's early years, it also published fantasy, science fiction, Westerns, and the Wildlife Treasury card series ...

1966) by Don Holliday; included in ''That Man from C.A.M.P.'' – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 1) # ''Color Him Gay'' (Greenleaf Classics/Leisure Books 1966) by Don Holliday; (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 2) # ''The Watercress File'' (Greenleaf Classics/Leisure Books 1966) by Don Holliday – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 3) # ''The Son Goes Down'' (Greenleaf Classics/Leisure Books 1966) by Don Holliday; included in ''That Man from C.A.M.P.'' – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 4) # ''Gothic Gaye'' (Greenleaf Classics/Leisure Books 1966) by Don Holliday; e-book (GLB Publishers 2006) by Victor J. Banis; included in ''Tales from C.A.M.P.'' – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 5) # ''Good-bye My Lover'' (Sundown Reader 1966) by J. X. Williams; e-book (GLB Publishers 2006); ''Goodbye, My Lover'' (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis – murder mystery # ''Rally Round the Fag'' (Ember Library 1967) by Don Holliday; e-book (GLB Publishers 2006) by Victor J. Banis; included in ''Tales from C.A.M.P.'' – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 6) # ''The Gay Dogs'' (Ember Library 1967) by Don Holliday; (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 7) # ''Holiday Gay'' (Phoenix Companion Books 1967) by Don Holliday; included in ''That Man from C.A.M.P.'' – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 8) # ''Stranger at the Door'' (Late Hour Library 1967) by Don Holliday; (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis – novel # ''Three on a Broomstick'' (Adult Books 1967) by Don Holliday – novel # ''Sex and the Single Gay'' (Greenleaf Classics/Leisure Books 1967) by Don Holliday – advice # ''Blow the Man Down'' (Late Hour Library 1968) by Don Holliday; (GLB Publishers 2006), e-book by Victor J. Banis; included in ''Tales from C.A.M.P.'' – mystery (C.A.M.P. # 9) # ''Brandon's Boy'' (Adult Books 1968) by Jay Vickery; The Greek Boy (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis – novel # ''Man into Boy'' (Adult Books 1968) by Jay Vickery – science fiction # ''Gay Treason'' (Ember Library 1968) by J. X. Williams – World War II romance # ''Homo Farm'' (Brandon House 1968) by Victor Jay; ''Kenny's Back'' (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis – mystery # ''The Pussycat Man'' (Sherburne Press 1969; Award Books 1970) by Victor J. Banis – novel # ''Friar Peck and His Tale'' (Greenleaf Classics 1969), published anonymously – novel # ''The Gay Haunt'' (''The Other Traveller'' 1970) by Victor Jay; (''Traveller's Companion'' 1972; Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis – supernatural novel # ''Shadows'' ( Lancer Books 1970) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''The Wolves of Craywood'' (Lancer Books 1970) by Jan Alexander; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''House of Fools'' (Lancer Books 1971) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''The Second House: A Novel of Terror'' (Beagle Books 1971) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''White Jade'' ( Popular Library 1971) by Jan Alexander; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''The Devil's Dance'' (Avon 1972) by Jan Alexander; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''House at Rose Point'' ( Avon 1972) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''The Girl Who Never Was'' (Lancer Books 1972) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''The Glass House'' (Popular Library 1972) by Jan Alexander; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''The Glass Painting'' (Popular Library 1972) by Jan Alexander; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''Moon Garden'' (Popular Library 1972) by Jan Alexander; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''The Bishop's Palace'' (Popular Library 1973) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''Darkwater'' (

Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books. History Pocket Books produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing in ...

1975) by Jan Alexander; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''The Haunting of Helen Wren'' (Pocket Books, 1975; Thorndike Press 2004) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''Blood Ruby'' ( Ballantine 1975) by Jan Alexander; (Thorndike Press 2004) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''The Sword and the Rose'' (

Pyramid Books Jove Books, formerly known as Pyramid Books, is an American paperback and eBook publishing imprint, founded as an independent paperback house in 1949 by Almat Magazine Publishers (Alfred R. Plaine and Matthew Huttner). The company was sold to ...

1975) by Victor Banis; (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis – novel # ''The Lion's Gate'' (

Berkley Medallion Berkley Books is an imprint of the Penguin Group. History Berkley Books began as an independent company in 1955. It was founded as "Chic News Company" by Charles Byrne and Frederick Klein, who had worked for Avon; they quickly renamed it Berkl ...

1976) by Jan Alexander; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Gothic romance # ''Green Willows'' (Pocket Books 1977; Thorndike Press 2004) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''This Splendid Earth'' (

1978; Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – historical romance # ''Blood Moon'' (Lancer Books 1979) by Jan Alexander – Gothic romance # ''The Earth and All It Holds'' (St. Martin's Press 1980; Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – historical romance # ''The Moonsong Chronicles'' (

Pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...

1981) by Jessica Stuart – ''The Moonsong Chronicles'' #1 # ''A Westward Love'' (

Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in ''Shatter Me s ...

1981) by Elizabeth Monterey; (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – romance # ''San Antone'' (

1985; Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – Western romance # ''Spine Intact, Some Creases: Remembrances of a Paperback Writer'' (ECIG 2004) by Victor J. Banis, edited with an introduction by # Fabio Cleto; revised (Wildside Press 2007) – memoirs # ''That Man from C.A.M.P.: Rebel without a Pause'' ( Harrington Park Press 2004) by Victor J. Banis, edited with an introduction and an interview by Fabio Cleto – anthology (three novels) # ''Tales from Camp: Jackie's Back'' (GLB Publishers 2006) by Victor J. Banis, with an interview and checklist by Drewey Wayne Gunn – anthology (three novels) # ''Avalon'' (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – romance # ''Longhorns'' (

Carroll & Graf Carroll & Graf Publishers was an American publishing company based in New York City, New York, known for publishing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction by both new and established authors, as well as issuing reprints of previously hard-t ...

2007) by Victor J. Banis, with a foreword by Michael Bronski – Western romance # ''Come This Way'' (

2007) by Victor J. Banis, edited by Lori L. Lake with a foreword by Drewey Wayne Gunn – collection of short fiction # ''The Wolves of Craywood'' (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – supernatural romance # ''The Devil's Dance'' (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – supernatural romance # ''The Astral: Till the Day I Die'' (Wildside Press 2007) by V. J. Banis – supernatural romance # ''Life and Other Passing Moments'' (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis, edited by Robert Reginald – collection of short fiction # ''Drag Thing'' (Wildside Press 2007) by Victor J. Banis # ''Lola Dances'' (ManLoveRomance Press 2008) by Victor J. Banis # ''A Deadly Kind of Love'' (

Dreamspinner Press Dreamspinner Press is a Tallahassee, Florida based LGBTQ publisher. Dreamspinner Press is an independent publisher, specializing in gay romantic fiction with print, eBook, and audiobook releases, and titles translated in French, German, Italia ...

2011) by Victor J. Banis

Footnotes

External links

Gay History Writers' Project website page for Victor J. Banis

The Wildside Press official website

The efanzines website

The ManLoveRomance Press official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Banis, Victor J. 1937 births 2019 deaths American male novelists American male short story writers American gay writers American LGBT novelists LGBT people from Pennsylvania LGBT people from Ohio People from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania People from Eaton, Ohio Writers from Pennsylvania 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists Writers from Martinsburg, West Virginia Writers of Gothic fiction