The Man with Night Sweats by Thom Gunn
"The Man with Night Sweats" by Thom Gunn is a poignant collection of poems that addresses the experiences of gay men confronting death, particularly in the context of the AIDS epidemic. Celebrated as a significant work in the poetry of the AIDS crisis, Gunn's writing is characterized by its clear language and emotional depth, allowing readers to engage with complex themes of fear, grief, and resilience. The poems explore the inner lives of individuals grappling with the disease, highlighting their courage and the nuances of their emotional landscapes.
One notable poem, "Lament," employs heroic couplets to depict the struggles of an AIDS sufferer, revealing the profound challenges of reconciling with mortality. Gunn connects traditional heroic poetry with the daily realities faced by those living with AIDS, showcasing their extraordinary bravery. Additionally, "In Time of Plague" examines how the disease reshapes personal identities and relationships, prompting a reassessment of risk in intimate connections.
Ultimately, the collection culminates in a hopeful tone, particularly in the poem "The Blank," which reflects on themes of parenthood and identity. Through this work, Gunn not only memorializes the experiences of those affected by AIDS but also imparts moral lessons, illustrating his belief in poetry's potential to inspire and instruct.
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Subject Terms
The Man with Night Sweats by Thom Gunn
First published: 1987; collected in The Man with Night Sweats, 1992
The Work
The Man with Night Sweats is a collection of poems whose subject is the way people face death, particularly the way that gay men suffering from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) have courageously fought that disease. Thom Gunn’s book was praised by critics as a landmark, one of the first books of poetry about AIDS. Paul Monette’s Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir (1988) was one of the first works of prose on this subject.
Born in England, Gunn has lived in San Francisco since 1960. Changing social attitudes and life in a more liberated sexual environment helped Gunn to express his sexual identity. He came out as a gay man in a 1976 book of poems called Jack Straw’s Castle. The example of other gay writers, such as W. H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, and Robert Duncan has also given Gunn the courage to write openly about homosexuality in his poetry.
Disliking obscure poetry, Gunn communicates in strong, simple words so that readers can understand his basic meaning on a first reading. The persons with AIDS in his poems work through feelings of fear, grief, rage, self-pity, and defeat in order to retain their courage and hope in the face of this disease. One long poem, “Lament,” is written in heroic couplets emphasizing an AIDS sufferer’s courageous effort to express himself despite the tube that doctors put down his throat, and how terribly difficult it is for him to reconcile himself to an early death, to die incomplete, before he has fulfilled his role in life. Many of the poems connect heroic poetry with the poetry of everyday life, showing the extraordinary bravery of persons struggling to live with AIDS.
“In Time of Plague” looks at how disease may change people’s behavior and their sense of themselves. People who once defined themselves as risk-takers, daring to make emotional and sexual connections with other people, may have to reconsider how many risks are worth taking in a time when the exchange of bodily fluids could bring AIDS. If the message that taking certain kinds of risks could have mortal consequences sounds didactic, it should be noted that Gunn, while never preachy, does not hesitate to instruct people through his poems, for he believes that poetry should have moral import.
Gunn’s book concludes on a note of hope, an optimistic poem called “The Blank” about a gay man who chooses to raise a child, helping the boy discover his own identity—whatever that identity turns out to be.
Sources for Further Study
Boston Globe. June, 1992, p. 33.
The Economist. CCCXXII, February 22, 1992, p. 88.
The Guardian. February 13, 1992, p. 26.
London Review of Books. XIV, February 13, 1992, p. 16.
The Nation. CCLV, August 31, 1992, p. 221.
New Statesman and Society. V, March 6, 1992, p. 46.
The New York Times Book Review. XCVII, November 15, 1992, p. 15.
The New Yorker. LXVIII, September 14, 1992, p. 108.
The Times Literary Supplement. May 1, 1992, p. 12.
Wilmer, Clive. “Thom Gunn: The Art of Poetry LXXII.” Paris Review 37, no. 135 (Summer, 1995): 143-189.
The Yale Review. LXXX, October, 1992, p. 111.