Description
In Praise of Cruising
Book Summary
This literary essay explores the presence of cruising—the practice of anonymous casual sex in public spaces—in contemporary Spanish homoerotic poetry. Antonio Aguilar traces an unprecedented path through the work of poets who have recreated its rites and liturgies, challenging both social and personal prejudices. The book reveals how this poetic tradition, initiated by Luis Cernuda, articulates a conception of love born from equal-sex relationships, based on overcoming artifice and the clarity of homosexual desire. An essential read for understanding the intersection of literature, identity, and sexual freedom.
What is it about?
The book examines cruising as both a practice and a literary motif in 20th and 21st-century Spanish poetry. Through critical analysis, the author demonstrates that numerous poets have recreated these anonymous encounters as part of a liturgy of desire, despite social stigma and internal criticism from the LGBTQ+ community. The work is structured around two fundamental conquests: the overcoming of prejudices to speak of homosexual desire without disguises, and the construction of a new conception of love, first outlined by Cernuda. Aguilar thus unveils a silenced poetic tradition, where cruising ceases to be a taboo and becomes a space of affirmation and freedom.
Main themes
- Cruising as a sexual practice and literary motif in Spanish homoerotic poetry
- Analysis of the work of Luis Cernuda as a precursor to a new conception of egalitarian love
- Overcoming social and personal prejudices in the representation of homosexual desire
- Poetry as a space for the affirmation of LGBTQ+ identity in the face of social rejection
- Rites and liturgies of anonymous encounters in the contemporary poetic tradition
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in literary criticism, contemporary Spanish poetry, and queer studies. It will be especially valuable to students and scholars of literature, as well as anyone wishing to understand how poetry has addressed homosexual sexuality and desire in public spaces. It is also recommended for members of the LGBTQ+ community who are looking for a deep reflection on the artistic representation of their practices and affections.
What this book contributes
- An unprecedented journey through Spanish homoerotic poetry focused on the motif of cruising
- A rigorous analysis of how poets have overcome prejudices to express homosexual desire without disguises
- A reclamation of the poetic tradition as a space of sexual freedom and identity affirmation
- Keys to understanding the evolution of the conception of egalitarian love from Cernuda to the present day
Technical specifications
- Author: Aguilar, Antonio
- Publisher: El Toro Celeste
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: LITERATURE: HISTORY AND CRITICISM, LITERARY STUDIES: POETRY AND POETS
- Collection: LA ZAMBRANA
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: October 2025
- Number of pages: 276
- Weight: 688 g
Editorial review
In Praise of Cruising is a necessary work that addresses a subject rarely treated in Spanish literary criticism. Antonio Aguilar combines academic rigor with accessible prose, allowing the reader to enter a fascinating and often ignored poetic territory. Its main value lies in making visible a literary tradition that challenges hegemonic discourses on love and desire, offering a refreshing perspective on homoerotic poetry. Recommended for those looking for a read that combines literature, critical thinking, and cultural reclamation.