Edmund White, Dead :-(

[Rod Hagen]

Very important, and excellent, gay Writer.  What are your favorite Edmund White Books?

nytimes.com

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

 

[Bokomaru]

The Beautiful Room Is Empty was my personal favorite. Although Forgetting Elena was haunting. I read it when I went to Fire Island for the first time, and let’s just say, the surreal world of social norms described in the book were very much like real life, in my experience. 
 

And now for a quick story about “Eddie” and our favorite hobby … 

I had a friend, oh about 20-some years ago. We knew each other from the SM social scene, which I was deeply involved in. He shared with me about a session he had with Mr. White; it was a flogging scene. I was a bit jealous, being a fan of his work (the writer’s, not the flogger’s). However, I did wonder why my hot friend would hook up with a 60-something year old. 
 

Eventually I realized that, duh, my friend was working as a pro dom. Hell, I would have flogged White for free. Or for just a bit of conversation. I’m a bit sad I never got to. 

[TonyDown]

Loved all those characters in The Edmund Trilogy!  Been many years, but still remember a lot of them.  The lesbian from Iowa.  The wacky relatives in Texas.

What I remember the most is how he began A Boy's Own Story, the midnight boat ride.

[Bokomaru]

And now a different friend of mine has messaged me. Knowing that I’m a fan of White’s work, my friend sent a message, “Thinking of you,” along with a picture of his foot … in White’s mouth. 

Was I the only person who didn’t sleep with this guy? I wonder if my friends made it into any of his books. That’s a lot of books to read to find out! 

[+ Lucky]

I just finished Edmund White's tale of his sex life, naturally titled out The Loves of My Life. White died last week at the age of 85, but says in the book that he expected to reach 90, so there go expectations. Knowing that White was a good writer caused me to expect a more sizzling tale than is delivered. It does seem complete, but not very erotic. YMMV, of course.

What I liked best were White's political observations on gay life as it has evolved in his lifetime. Just for comparison, a fellow here in the desert once shared with me his journal of his sex life. It wasn't written with commercial aspirations as White's is, and thus I liked it better. Up close and personal.

Edited June 14 by Lucky