The young John Brown leads a successful yet solitary life in 1980s San Francisco. Through a personal ad he meets attorney Liz—and at first, happiness seems within reach. But soon their different visions of love, freedom, and a shared future become a test for their bond.
At the same time, Liz’s brother Ed falls for Phil, a divorced father. While Phil is open about his feelings, Ed is drawn into a heavy inner conflict because of his Catholic faith and societal expectations. The intertwined relationships within their circle of friends are defined by longing, jealousy, and loss.
Between Lightness and Loss
In “Golden Gate” Vikram Seth tells of friendship and the difficult search for a fulfilling life. The novel is set in California’s Silicon Valley, where wealth and sunshine cast a bright glow over many things. At its center are young adults who are seeking new forms of love, pleasure, and a sense of purpose for their lives.
What makes it special is the form: Seth tells the entire story in verse. He blends romantic entanglements and tragicomic everyday scenes with questions of sexual freedom, religion, and social adaptation. In particular, Ed’s relationship with Phil shows how strongly gay desire is still shadowed by guilt and external expectations.
“Golden Gate” made Vikram Seth internationally known. The work won the 1986 British Airways Commonwealth Poetry Prize. Forty years after its first publication, the verse novel is now published in German for the first time. It was translated by Christophe Fricker, who carried the flexible meter of the original into German. The hardcover edition runs 320 pages and is priced at €26 (Amazon affiliate link).
Vikram Seth was born in 1952 in Calcutta and is one of India’s most notable English-language writers. He gained worldwide fame with the Indian social novel “A Suitable Boy,” which was later adapted by the BBC into a series, as well as with the musician-novel “Related Voices.” Seth lives in New Delhi and in Salisbury, in the south of England. He regularly speaks out on political and social issues. (dd/pm)
Vikram Seth: Golden Gate. Translated from English by Christophe Fricker. 320 pages. Weissbooks Publishing Company. Berlin 2026. Hardcover: €26 (ISBN: 978-3-86337-245-3).
