Armistead Maupin is currently residing in an unexpected location – south London. He gained recognition as a writer in San Francisco, with his depictions of the city’s gay community and affordable housing. However, he now feels at home in a 1930s terrace in Clapham and is surprised by the reactions of others when they learn of his residence in SW11. He playfully tells me to “get over it” and laughs at the surprise.

We sit across from each other in his unfussy living room, the only suggestions of Americana being a large painting of redwoods along the Russian River and various mementoes from TV adaptations – including a street sign from Barbary Lane, focal point of his beloved Tales of the City series. Maupin, almost 80, still has a full head of creamy-silver hair, his trademark moustache, and looks relaxed in jeans and a dark green corduroy shirt.

He and his husband, Chris Turner, who is a photographer in his early 50s, have been residing in England for almost five years now. They moved away from the city he famously captured in his work in 2019. He admits, “I have a deep love for San Francisco like everyone else, but I felt like I had experienced everything it had to offer.” They were seeking a new adventure and they found it in England. When asked about the appeal of their new home, he responds with mild disbelief, saying, “Just look at this country! It’s truly incredible.”

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I really connect with and appreciate many aspects of this culture. We frequently attend the theatre, something I never did when I lived in San Francisco. In that city, there was only one theatre available to us. This place is known for being the home of literary icons like Dickens and Christopher Isherwood. Although Isherwood eventually relocated to California, his connection to this place remains strong.

If he were given the option to choose something he didn’t enjoy, it would be our below-average marijuana: “It’s ironic that the thing I’ve been advocating for years is now legal in America. They finally recognized its worth, and I’ve since moved on.” However, the main issue is our lack of gratitude for our fortunate circumstances. “You always seem to complain about everything,” he sighs. Is that justified, especially when it comes to the weather? “The weather doesn’t bother me much. English people assume I moved from a sunny place, but that’s not true. San Francisco experiences fog and cold temperatures for most of the year. I don’t mind rain at all, in fact, I quite enjoy it.”

Additionally, there were also factors that pushed individuals away from their own country. The current state of our nation was disheartening and continues to be even more so now than five years ago. The speaker’s tone lowers as he expresses his concern, believing that the previous leader may regain power. Is it unlikely for Biden to win a second time? As an 80-year-old who can relate to Biden’s struggles, the speaker believes that his condition is weakening by the hour.

However, it is remarkable that the individual who played a significant role in promoting the idea of the ideal San Francisco lifestyle was ultimately unable to afford it. Armistead Maupin’s delightfully dramatic and sexually liberated Tales were first published in segments in the San Francisco Chronicle during the 1970s and 1980s, later becoming popular novels. The stories revolve around a diverse group of characters, including individuals who identify as gay, straight, and transgender, as they navigate through life’s highs, lows, and unbelievable plot twists. Maupin’s work cemented his status as an icon of the city, often compared to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. However, as rapid gentrification took over in the 2010s, Maupin was forced to confront the harsh reality of being priced out of his beloved city. He and his partner sold their home and temporarily relocated to Santa Fe before returning to rent in the Castro district for five years. However, Maupin acknowledges that the neighborhood lacked the same charm as before, and the cost of living became unmanageable.

It is important to note that while there may not be as many tech entrepreneurs driving up prices, London is still quite expensive. The interviewee admits that they still have to work hard to make ends meet. One aspect of living in England that they particularly enjoy is the free prescriptions, which are delivered right in the middle of our conversation. They go on to explain that, despite having sold more books than most authors could ever imagine, it was spread out over a span of five decades. They also made a conscious decision to only pursue projects they truly wanted to do, even if it meant potentially making less money. The interviewer jokingly asks if they will be disappointed when they arrive at the interviewee’s home, as they may have imagined a grand mansion.

Honestly, the house is quite lovely and, considering its location, not at all inexpensive. However, it is somewhat unexpected to find a Californian aesthetic within the confines of an Arts and Crafts garden fence and suburban stained glass. This may seem odd, until one takes into account that Maupin is not from California nor is he entirely American. He actually grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, as a descendant of a prominent southern family (and the great-great-grandson of a Confederate general). However, his grandmother, Marguerite Norma-Smith, was an English suffragist who immigrated to the United States with her married lover after World War I. Maupin also has relatives in London, including singer Sarah Jane Morris who famously collaborated with Jimmy Somerville on the 1986 LGBTQ+ anthem “Don’t Leave Me This Way.”

Marguerite herself is no vague ancestral figure. A photo of her, looking for all the world like Gloria Swanson, takes pride of place on the bookshelf to Maupin’s left. “She was the most important thing in my life, really, because she gave me permission to be me at a very early age,” he says. “I’m not sure she knew exactly who I was, but she told me it was OK, whatever it was.”

In his captivating memoir from 2017, titled “Logical Family,” Maupin shares his experiences of being the eldest of 19 grandchildren and how he was drawn to the intriguing English eccentric who enjoyed palm-reading and playing with the Ouija board. Although he never explicitly revealed his sexuality to her, she often speculated that he was the reincarnation of her bachelor cousin Curtis from England, who was known for his artistic abilities. Sadly, she passed away when Maupin was in his thirties, just after the first installment of the Tales series was published. During their final meeting, she promised to come back and visit him.

Although it has been difficult to have encounters with her (“I have yet to feel her presence in Clapham, but I am trying”), the idea of her has persisted, not just in Maupin’s memory. Marguerite was the inspiration for his most famous character, Anna Madrigal, the landlady of 28 Barbary Lane. She acted as a mother figure to a diverse group of people who found their way to her home, and she often gave cryptic advice and had premonitions. Unlike Marguerite, Madrigal enjoyed smoking marijuana, and the tradition of leaving a joint taped to new tenants’ doors became a symbol of the Tales’ bohemian lifestyle. Maupin considers Madrigal his greatest achievement, as the San Francisco Chronicle’s hesitation to introduce a transgender character (her identity was kept secret for some time) allowed him to show her humanity before some readers could dismiss her as a mere spectacle.

She makes an appearance in every installment of the Tales series, including the upcoming 10th book, Mona of the Manor, set to release in March. Notably, each installment since Sure of You in 1989 has been advertised as “the final book.” However, Maupin confesses, “I am lying, I am completely lying.” The most recent book to carry this tagline was 2014’s The Days of Anna Madrigal, where the 90-year-old matriarch takes a trip to the Burning Man festival. When asked why he continues to write about the same characters, Maupin explains, “I don’t think they have said enough or explained themselves enough.” Will this truly be the end? He responds with a burst of laughter and then says, “Um, yes,” before being interrupted by his dog walker and his energetic golden labradoodle, Zeke.

The new book is situated in the heart of England and centers around Mona, a former tenant of Barbary Lane. In a surprising twist, it is revealed that she is the daughter of Madrigal from before her transition. Mona now lives in a grand Cotswolds house that she inherited from her late husband, Teddy, who passed away from Aids. Their marriage was for convenience, allowing Teddy to obtain a green card and explore his sexuality freely in San Francisco. To make ends meet, Mona rents out the manor to tourists and her adopted son, Wilfred, acts as a butler. The story takes place in the early 1990s when a Christian couple from the south visit, expecting traditional English hospitality but instead encountering a completely different experience. In Mona’s words, “You thought you were getting a romantic novel by Barbara Cartland, but instead ended up with a house full of mice and gay individuals.”

“I aimed to imitate books that I have adored in the past, which took place in English country houses,” he explains. “My primary inspiration was I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. It captivated me during my teenage years, and it still holds the power to charm me all over again with each read.”

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The author is enthusiastic about the house being portrayed as a character, with its aged limestone exterior resembling a tiger’s hide. As it is written by Maupin, there is a surprising twist in the plot of the country manor, including activities such as cottaging and growing a marijuana farm. The cottaging scene takes place in London and even features a masked George Michael on Hampstead Heath, which fits in with the style of Tales, known for including thinly veiled references to celebrities like Rock Hudson.

The book also showcases a strong knowledge of British politics, making references to Clause (later known as “Section”) 28 and “Tory twats”. In a nod to current concerns, Mona ends a relationship with a girlfriend who is offended by a trans woman using a public restroom. This decision was carefully thought out, according to Maupin, who was surprised to learn upon arriving in England that some people had objections to this type of situation. This upset him greatly. Maupin is especially frustrated with progressive individuals who do not support trans rights. He believes that these individuals should not be excluded from the movement, as trans individuals played a crucial role in its development. Leaving them behind simply because one has become more affluent or “bourgeois” is unacceptable.

“It brings back memories of the past when there was concern about allowing gays to use the bathroom. The same arguments about it affecting children were used. And it really strengthens my bond with my transgender peers. I have felt this way for a long time. Embracing my own homosexuality also meant accepting diversity in all forms. That, to me, is the crux of the matter. If you cannot accept that, then we are not compatible.”

Acknowledging Section 28 is not simply the product of dry historical research. Maupin has been knowledgeable about left-wing politics in Britain for many years, partly due to his close relationship with Ian McKellen. This friendship began in the 1980s when Maupin gave McKellen and his then-partner Sean Mathias a tour of San Francisco. In the late 1980s, a profound conversation with Maupin convinced McKellen to come out publicly, which he did at the next opportunity. (This happened to be during a discussion on Radio 3 with Peregrine Worsthorne, the editor of the Sunday Telegraph – a name that Maupin once referred to as “perfect for an asshole” in an interview.)

Maupin has become less aggressive about the importance of keeping his sexuality a secret. However, he maintains his belief that those who feel ashamed of being gay are not truly masculine. In 1985, he openly revealed to a journalist that his friend, Hudson, was also gay after the actor’s AIDS diagnosis was made public. This may seem insensitive, but Maupin was motivated by his belief that the true scandal was not Hudson’s homosexuality, but rather the complicity between Hollywood and the media in perpetuating the harmful idea that being gay is something to be ashamed of. As a result, Hudson received an outpouring of love and support from his fans, with numerous letters sent to his hospital room.

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Did Maupin, despite being raised in a conservative environment and having a father who was a member of the far-right John Birch Society, never experience any lingering shame that may have made him reconsider coming out? He jokingly says that once he had a sexual experience with another man, his perspective became clear. However, he acknowledges that the supportive community in San Francisco played a significant role in empowering him to embrace his sexuality and express it through his writing and personal life.

Is he nostalgic for his days of sexual freedom? Or is he still out there, seeking casual encounters? He jokes, “I couldn’t do that anymore. I do have fond memories, but I’m grateful to have made it through. I wouldn’t say I miss those days, since I’m now with the most amazing man in the world.”

His life in London revolves around his home and being with his loved ones, which is exactly how he prefers it. However, he does mention that he and his partner Chris often frequent the Royal Vauxhall Tavern and participate in quiz nights at The Grapes, a pub that he co-owns in Limehouse. McKellen is part of a close-knit group of friends that includes Russell Tovey and Graham Norton. He also expresses a desire to reconnect with Miriam Margolyes, whom he had plans to meet before lockdown but was unable to do so. According to him, Labour peer Michael Cashman has been a friend since the 80s and helped him and Chris obtain visas. Cashman also took them to the House of Lords where they met Keir Starmer, whom McKellen found to be likable despite seeming a bit unsure of himself.

Due to his English grandparents, Maupin was granted British citizenship at the end of last year. However, as he is over 65 years old, he did not have to take the Life in the UK test that is required for younger applicants. Maupin’s friend Chris, who is not yet 65, will have to study for the test in order to become a British citizen. Maupin found the citizenship ceremony to be very emotional, as it was filled with people from various nationalities. The officiant made a speech celebrating this diversity, which Maupin found to be a stark contrast to what he would expect in the United States.

Will he remain here indefinitely? “I believe so.” And does being with Marguerite make it feel somewhat like returning home? “Yes, that’s the straightforward answer.”

Source: theguardian.com