Holding the Man

Holding the Man
First edition
AuthorTimothy Conigrave
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPenguin Group (Australia)
Publication date
1995
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages286 (Penguin, 1996)
ISBN9-7-8014025784-7

Holding the Man is a 1995 memoir by Australian writer, actor, and activist Timothy Conigrave.[1] It tells of his 15-year love affair with John Caleo, which started when they met in the mid-1970s at Xavier College, an all-boys Jesuit Catholic school in Melbourne, and follows their relationship through the 1990s when they both developed AIDS.[1] The book, which won the 1995 Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction,[2] has been adapted as a play,[3] a docudrama,[4] and in 2015 a film starring Ryan Corr, Craig Stott, Anthony La Paglia, Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce.[5]

"Holding the Man" refers to a rule in Australian Rules Football where a defensive player is awarded a free kick for being tackled while not being in possession of the ball.[6] Caleo, Conigrave's lover, was captain of the school football team.

Holding the Man was published in February 1995 by Penguin Books in Australia just a few months after Conigrave's death, and has since been published in Spain and North America.

  1. ^ a b "Holding the Man by Timothy Conigrave". www.penguin.com.au. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  2. ^ Conigrave, Timothy; Marr, David (2015). Holding the Man: Winner of the Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction. Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-14-300949-8 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ Cerabona, Ron (17 March 2023). "Poignant play has a special place in some hearts". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  4. ^ Bird, Nickolas; Sharpe, Eleanor (14 April 2016), Remembering the Man (Documentary, History, Romance), George Banders, Reece Manning, Richard Bligh, retrieved 11 June 2023
  5. ^ Armfield, Neil (27 August 2015), Holding the Man (Biography, Drama, Romance), Ryan Corr, Sarah Snook, Francesco Ferdinandi, Screen Australia, Goalpost Pictures, Snow Republic, retrieved 11 June 2023
  6. ^ "The Complete Guide To Understanding Australian Rules Football". Deadspin. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2023.