Writing a biography of James Baldwin poses a unique challenge. Mr. Baldwin was, of course, a great American writer—author of arguably the greatest queer novel of the twentieth century, Giovanni’s Room. He was also the author of the autobiographical
As the title suggests, Stephen Greenblatt’s new book isn’t so much an exhaustive biography of Christopher Marlowe as an expert rendering of the world he lived in. Dark Renaissance, The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival is
Christopher Marlowe’s Queer World Read More »
For centuries those who questioned William Shakespeare’s sexuality were silenced by two simple facts: he married Anne Hathaway and fathered three children with her. Case closed, right? It is only in recent years–with the decline of the heterosexual presumption–that a
The Queer Lit world is still in shock at the news that the great Queer author, Edmund White has passed. Only his husband, Michael Carroll, and a few close friends knew that the end was near. Mr. White had been
On the Death of Edmund White Read More »
Don’t be deceived by the title, Edmund White’s latest book, The Loves of My Life, A Sex Memoir, is an important volume of Queer History. By chronicling his sex life–so far–this great octogenarian author gives us deep insights about
An Important Queer History Book from Edmund White Read More »
Katharine Bucknell’s new Isherwood biography is the most important non-fiction book QueerReader has reviewed so far. Because of his background, education, talents and personality, Christopher Isherwood was uniquely positioned to meet most of the important queer authors of the twentieth
More than the Definitive Isherwood Biography Read More »
With all the excitement over the up and coming queer authors of our time–Ocean Vuong, Lydia Conklin, Douglas Stuart, David Santos Donaldson, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Edward Cahill, to name just a few–it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that many
Let’s get this out of the way: Disorderly Men is an astonishingly good debut novel. But even this sentence doesn’t do it justice. Because the term “debut novel” implies something that is not quite complete—a good first try. Edward Cahill’s
Disorderly Men is Essential Reading Read More »
It’s been forty-one years since Edmund White got the world’s attention when A Boy’s Own Story broke the New York Times bestseller list. The simple fact that a literary queer novel could sell transformed the publishing business forever. Perhaps less
Edmund White’s New Novel is Predictably Brilliant Read More »
It’s award season again. Time to take a fresh look at David Santos Donaldson’s Greenland. Were it simply a historical novel centered on the three years E.M. Forster spent in Alexandria, Egypt this novel would have been quite good.
The Best Novel of 2022: David Santos Donaldson’s Greenland Read More »
