The Naked Civil Servant is the first volume of an autobiography by the gay icon Quentin Crisp. It was later turned into a TV movie starring John Hurt, which was also titled The Naked Civil Servant.
The book started life as a radio interview with Crisp in 1964 conducted by his friend and fellow eccentric, Philip O'Connor, which was heard by the then managing director of Jonathan Cape, commissioned by him, and which was published in 1968. It only sold 3,500 copies when first released but became a success after a re-publication once the television version was shown.
The book contains many anecdotes about Crisp's life from childhood through to middle age. It documents the troubles he faced because of his refusal to hide his homosexuality and flamboyant lifestyle during a time when gay sex was illegal in the United Kingdom. Crisp also recalls how he had many jobs including a book designer, nude model and prostitute.
The title comes from Crisp's quip about being a nude art model; models are employed by schools and are ultimately paid by the Department for Education. They are essentially civil employees who are naked during office hours.
Famous quotes containing the words naked, civil and/or servant:
“Every murder turns on a bright hot light, and a lot of people ... have to walk out of the shadows.”
—Albert Maltz, U.S. screenwriter, Malvin Wald, screenwriter, and Jules Dassin. Narrator, in The Naked City (film)
“Standards of conduct appropriate to civil society or the workings of a democracy cannot be purely and simply applied to the Church.”
—Joseph Ratzinger (b. 1927)
“He who doesn’t know how to be a servant should never be allowed to be a master; the interests of public life are alien to anyone who is unable to enjoy others’ successes, and such a person should never be entrusted with public affairs.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)