He was an avowed homosexual, and his progressive debut novel Wings, the first gay-themed book to be published in Russia, created a scandal when released in 1906. But his open lifestyle made writing increasingly difficult for him under Stalin’s regime, and his works were not reprinted for over forty years.   Presented in this essential collection are the novel Wings; the play The Venetian Madcaps; thirteen short stories; and two major poetic cycles, including the acclaimed The Trout Breaks the Ice.   This anthology exhibits the high level of craftsmanship for which Kuzmin was valued by so many leading writers of his time, including Mandelstam, Akhmatova, Pasternak, Mayakovsky, Meyerhold, and Blok.