James Baldwin, one of the most prominent figures in American literature, rose to the highest of literary heights from the most trying of circumstances. Born into a poor Harlem family, he had to contend with an abusive stepfather. Despite the deplorable quality of Harlem's public schools, Baldwin mana

African american fiction, Angry, Homoerotic, Masculine, Psychological, Queer literature, Religious

Johnny Cash is "The Man in Black." A patriarch of country music, Cash has played with and influenced some of the greatest figures in contemporary music. Cash has a voice that can bend steel. Deep, resonant, and manly, when combined with his songs' marching bass lines, the Cash voice evokes a sense of

Dark, Gritty, Intimate, Masculine, Pathos

Gene Kelly's blend of acrobatics, athleticism, and artistry blew a potent blast of machismo under the tight skirt of the postwar Hollywood musical. With his auspicious Broadway debut as the lead cad in "Pal Joey" (1940), classically trained Kelly wowed audiences and fellow hoofers with his st

Bubblicious, Charming, Masculine, Overflowing

Although too erratic in technique to earn the distinction of virtuoso, Rudolf Nureyev still took a place among the most brilliant dancers in history. His flamboyance and charisma garnered him a truly massive audience; it's possible that his dancing has been seen by more people than that of any other

Bombast, Dramatic, Intense, Masculine, Mythic, Severe, Soviet ballet: the bolshoi and the kirov