Advertisement
Books

Romeo & Seahorse by Nikolaj Tange Lange review – gayness throbs through vein and artery

The first of Tange Lange’s novels to appear in English is set among the darkrooms and cruising areas of Berlin

Nikolaj Tange Lange’s Romeo & Seahorse begins with a line that, in my mind, recalls Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca — “I just told my boyfriend I have Hepatitis C again.” And who knows, if du Maurier were still alive, perhaps she too would have written a novel set amongst the darkrooms and cruising areas of Berlin. Tange Lange’s novel is the first of his to appear in English, translated by the author himself and brought to us by the ever-reliable smut pedlars Cipher Press. 

A crafty work of autofiction that mixes narrative with musings on place, love, sexuality and cinema, Romeo & Seahorse is less a gay novel and more a novel in which gayness throbs through vein and artery. As our narrator says at one point, just before shooting up, “the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his veins”.

The novel’s narrator is a Romeo in search of his own Romeo. He wanders from club to club, hook-up to hook-up, often smoking meth and imbibing GHB. His closest companion in the world is Seahorse, a huge dildo that Romeo carries around in a backpack. Just in case you hadn’t figured it out by now, Tange Lange’s work revels in transgression and his work brings to mind the novels of Dennis Cooper and the films of Bruce LaBruce, both of whom are namechecked in the book. 

Where Tange Lange differs from these auteurs of the extreme is in his musings with autofiction. Often, the novel will step back from the narrative at hand and Tange Lange himself will take over. He’ll talk about his life in Copenhagen and his move to Berlin, at points he’ll meld with his own narrator or set off on a tangent about the films of Gregg Araki or the artist Mona Hatoum. 

Frankly, it’s refreshing to read a book that so seriously approaches topics such as extreme sex, displacement and drug reliance with such an authoritative voice. There have been a number of nuanced works that look at the lives of gay men recently, putting the way gay men live their lives under the microscope and asking the question: why? But after reading Romeo & Seahorse you’ll wonder why those books have been so relentlessly sterile, so tastefully clean.

Romeo & Seahorse by Nikolaj Tange Lange is out now (Cipher Press, £11.99). You can buy it from The Big Issue shop on Bookshop.org, which helps to support The Big Issue and independent bookshops.
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us moreBig Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
Advertisement
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

Never miss an issue

Take advantage of our special subscription offer. Subscribe from just £9.99 and never miss an issue.

Recommended for you

Read All
Mum-of-two shares experience of 'dehumanising' DWP benefits system: 'It could kill somebody'
Image of Naomi Lihou
Benefits

Mum-of-two shares experience of 'dehumanising' DWP benefits system: 'It could kill somebody'

UK's 'cruel' benefits system is 'ruining lives' and 'violating human rights', Amnesty report finds
keir starmer walking
Benefits

UK's 'cruel' benefits system is 'ruining lives' and 'violating human rights', Amnesty report finds

Widower of disabled woman in bitter, years-long legal battle after DWP denied him benefits
Department for Work and Pensions

Widower of disabled woman in bitter, years-long legal battle after DWP denied him benefits

Transphobia and homophobia are terrible for the economy, report finds
London Trans+ Pride
LGBTQ+ rights

Transphobia and homophobia are terrible for the economy, report finds

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue