Arthur Edison Hope

Will’s young Black working-class lover, whose fear exposes the limits of their intimacy.

What they want

Sex, affection, safety, and escape from the trouble surrounding Harold.

The book

The Swimming-Pool LibraryAlan Hollinghurst, 1988

Queer freedom in 1980s London meets class, power, loneliness, and the lives that came before it.

Spoiler-free

Arthur is a young Black man from the East End and Will’s lover at the opening.

His world is tied to his brother Harold and a danger Will can shelter him from only temporarily.

Will’s account often turns racial and class difference into erotic fascination.

Appearance, manner, and tone — as the book sketches them, in our words.

GuardedHe protects himself beneath bravado.
Working-classHis circumstances contrast with Will’s inherited security.
VulnerableHe comes to Will believing he has killed someone.
EroticizedWill often sees his body before his circumstances.
Family-boundHarold’s network continues to shape his options.
Independent of WillHe returns to his own world rather than becoming Will’s project.

What happened to TonyHow the book leaves them, what happened after, and what the record says. Open when you're ready.

Arthur hides because he believes Tony died in their fight.

Tony is later revealed alive, and Arthur returns to Harold’s orbit.

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