Byzantium & Friends

Author: Byzantium & Friends

Conversations with experts in the history of Byzantium and surrounding fields, hosted by Anthony Kaldellis.
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160. Symeon the New Theologian: Queer desire in devotional poetry, with Derek Krueger
Thursday, 8 October, 2026

A conversation with Derek Krueger (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) on homoerotic language and imagery in the works of Symeon the New Theologian (eleventh century). These passages are unusual enough that earlier editors and scholars were made uncomfortable about them. We discuss their devotional context but also the broader context of homoeroticism and homophobia in the monastic world of that time. The conversation is based on Derek's recent monograph, Monastic Desires: Homoeroticism, Homophobia, and the Love of God in Medieval Constantinople (Cambridge University Press 2026).