Fabulosa! - The Story of Polari, Britains Secret Gay Language

A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year

"Richly evocative and entertaining."--Guardian

"An essential book for anyone who wants to Polari bona!"--Attitude

"Exuberant, richly detailed. . . . A delightful read."--Tatler

Polari is a language that was used chiefly by gay men in the first half of the twentieth century. It offered its speakers a degree of public camouflage and a means of identification. Its colorful roots are varied--from Cant to Lingua Franca to dancers' slang--and in the mid-1960s it was thrust into the limelight by the characters Julian and Sandy, voiced by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams, on the BBC radio show Round the Horne ("Oh hello Mr Horne, how bona to vada your dolly old eek!"). Paul Baker recounts the story of Polari with skill, humor, and tenderness. He traces its historical origins and describes its linguistic nuts and bolts, explores the ways and the environments in which it was spoken, explains the reasons for its decline, and tells of its unlikely reemergence in the twenty-first century. With a cast of drag queens and sailors, Dilly boys and macho clones, Fabulosa! is an essential document of recent history--a fascinating and fantastically readable account of this funny, filthy, and ingenious language.

About the author

Paul Baker is Professor of English Language at Lancaster University. His books include American and British English (2018) and Fabulosa! The Story of Polari, Britain’s Secret Gay Language (Reaktion, 2020).

Summary

Paul Baker recounts the story of Polari with skill, humour and tenderness.

Product details

• Authors: Paul Baker, Baker Paul
• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.07.2020
• EAN: 9781789142945
• ISBN: 978-1-78914-294-5
• No. of pages: 320
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; English, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Language: history & general works, Social and cultural history, Gay Studies (Gay Men), Relating to gay people, Language: history and general works, LGBTQ+ Studies / topics