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Cover of A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

A Single Man

by Christopher Isherwood

One ordinary day carries the private weight of a love the outside world barely recognizes.

Published
1964
Shelf rating
4.7

The story, briefly

Spoiler-free

George moves through a day of teaching, eating, talking, and continuing to exist after the death of his longtime partner. The novel makes loneliness and grief precise without making them grand.

What's inside

A grieving professor moves through one day while the life he shared with his partner remains present in everything he does.

Why we recommend it

  1. Queer love after loss

    It is quieter than Giovanni's Room but equally precise about loneliness and private grief.

What this book explores

Book editions

Paperback
Paperback

Reader reviews

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Cover of Maurice by E. M. Forster

Maurice

E. M. Forster

A respectable English life stops making sense when Maurice can no longer deny that he loves men.

Read our take

Recommended alongside Lie with Me.

Also recommended in books like Giovanni's Room.

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References

References

The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document A Single Man, its publication, and its place in literary history.

  1. 1A Single Man — Open Library ISBN catalogue

    Official record
    Open Library, Internet Archive
    Used for

    Open Library ISBN catalogue used to verify the title, ISBN, and publication metadata.

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  2. 2A Single Man — Google Books edition record

    Official record
    Google Books
    Used for

    Google Books catalogue record used to cross-check the title and edition metadata.

    View source
  1. 3A Single Man — Internet Archive ISBN catalogue

    Official record
    Internet Archive
    Used for

    Internet Archive ISBN catalogue used to cross-check the edition and its availability in library holdings.

    View source
  2. 4A Single Man — Library of Congress books catalogue

    Official record
    Library of Congress
    Used for

    Library of Congress books catalogue used to cross-check the bibliographic record by ISBN.

    View source
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Why these sources are here

The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.

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