Boys: Still longing for love and beauty Nani Papali died at the age of twenty, leaving his diary containing the words of love he feared to speak about openly about his fellow student. In 1938 this diary was rewritten into a book, and was the first novel to deal with the subject of gay love in Slovenia. Scandalous for its day, it caused a great stir and met with considerable disapproval. The film Boys, based on this novel, depicts the intimate world of boys’ affections.