Novelist and essayist Huw Lemmey writes about sex and cities. Among his inspirations is Pietro Aretino, the Renaissance-era satirist who is regarded as the originator of European pornographic prose. Marked by razor-sharp wit and shrewd political commentary, Huw’s prose is similarly styled. Following up on Chubz: The Demonization of my Working Arse (2014), his 2019 novel Red Tory: My Corbyn Chemsex Hell takes place in London, where a new sex drug is turning its users into horny socialists. A vinegary polemic against Brexit Britain, the book speaks to Susan Sontag’s adage that the most elegant criticism is not just aesthetic but erotic. Be sure to also check out his podcast – and book – with Ben Miller, in which the pair discuss evil and complicated queers throughout history, narrating riveting tales of lust, romance and bad behaviour.