18.05.2025

Where have all the male writers gone? A reader reflects on the vanishing gentleman voice in literature

A reader writes to GC about the quiet disappearance of the modern male writer and the cultural forces sidelining nuanced masculine storytelling. The letter praises efforts like" Conduit Books" and defends the role of the gentleman writer in today’s literary landscape.

Photo illustration by Getty Images.


Letter from Brian, London.

 

Hi GC,

As a lifelong reader, and ever-curious observer of culture, I write today with a sense of quiet concern - and a flicker of hope. The former stems from a question that’s lingered too long without meaningful discussion: Where have all the male writers gone?

In a time where algorithms favour noise over substance and publishing houses seem more preoccupied with demographics than depth, the thoughtful male voice is becoming less of a rarity and more of a relic. The public discourse is full of thinkers, but few of them, it seems, wear a coat, sharpen a fountain pen, and consider the weight of their words before casting them into the world. In short, the gentleman writer is disappearing.

So imagine my delight upon discovering GC. Amid a sea of platforms trading in vanity and virality, yours feels like a citadel of thoughtfulness. Here, manhood is neither weaponised nor withered. It is discussed with elegance. Your publication reminds me that the masculine voice still has areas to explore and battles worth chronicling.

Recently, I came across a thought-provoking piece about the launch of Conduit Books, a new literary press seeking to revive fiction by overlooked male authors. Founded by critic Jude Cook, Conduit aims to publish male novelists - particularly those under 35 - who are writing ambitious, political, funny, and cerebral fiction that the mainstream seems too quick to overlook. The responses from writers like Derek Owusu, Leo Robson, and Thomas Lambert reveal a literary landscape increasingly skeptical of male interiority, especially when it’s not neatly packaged within fashionable identity categories.

Owusu’s comment struck a chord:

“If you tell the truth about what’s going on in a man’s head most of the time… no one would publish it.”

In a world demanding constant confession yet little understanding, male writers are told to reveal but not to explore - to perform gender rather than elevate it.

This cultural pressure risks neutering the very thing that makes literature valuable: the ability to speak universally through the particulars of the self. Male writers - especially those who dare to write about men without apology - are often boxed in, marginalised, or mistaken for outliers. The ironic part? Many young men are abandoning books altogether, seeking role models in the charlatans of the manosphere rather than in the quiet strength of a Baldwin, a Greene, or an Amis.

We need platform where the masculine imagination can roam without fear, where its complexities are not only tolerated but celebrated. GC is one such place. You carry the torch for the uncertain man, the man who dares to imagine a better version of himself - and of his world.

Thank you for being a rare voice in this loud age. You remind us that manhood need not be shouted to be heard - it only needs to be written with truth and read with care.

 

Yours sincerely,
Brian
London, May 2025

Answer by The Gentleman:

Hi Brian,

Your letter landed on our desk like a handwritten note tucked into the pages of a well-loved book. We must admit, in an age of fleeting likes and rushed reels, receiving something so sincere feels almost rare. Thank you. Truly.

We read your words aloud in our small editorial room - one of us standing, another sipping too-hot coffee, someone else scribbling notes - and it stirred something deep in all of us. You reminded us why we started GC in the first place: not to shout into the void, but to write for those still willing to elevate. To create a space where the masculine soul could stretch out, unafraid of being misunderstood.

You spoke of the disappearing gentleman writer - and yes, we feel it too. The world has grown suspicious of gentility, and even more suspicious of nobility of spirit. But like you, we hold on to a hope that thoughtful masculinity isn’t extinct - it’s simply waiting for the right steward to emerge again.

Thank you for pointing us to Conduit Books. We were heartened by that piece as well. There’s something noble in what Jude Cook and others are trying to do: giving younger men permission to be literary, political, even vulnerable - without dressing it up in irony or hiding behind algorithm-friendly outrage. Men like Baldwin, Greene, and Amis weren’t perfect. But they weren’t afraid to convey their minds onto the page. Perhaps now more than ever, that courage matters.

We won’t claim to be the definitive voice for modern manhood - how could we? But if we can help a few good men find their voice again, or at least feel less alone in their search, then maybe that’s enough for now. Your letter, Brian, assures us we’re not entirely off course. That somewhere in London, a thinking man with ink on his fingers and care in his thoughts still believes in the written word. What more encouragement could we ask for?

Write again when you feel like it. There’s always room here for readers who read between the lines.

 

With gratitude,

The Gent

 

Gentlemen's Code has your back! We're thrilled to announce our brand new section on our website: "Ask the Gentleman." Submit your burning questions on all things refined living, health & fitness, relationships, culture, style, and etiquette by emailing editor@gentlemanscodes.com.

Please note:

1. We no longer accept letters on marital or divorce issues.

2. We do not entertain unconstructive correspondence or hate speech.

Related posts