GBLT literature

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i'm wondering if any of you can recommend some good books that focus on GBLT themes or have queer characters or whatever. i've read a lot of baldwin & i love his writing, but am looking for something new, perhaps written by a woman? (jeanette winterson i don't really care for, and i liked 'stone butch blues' but the writing didn't blow me away.)

any folks want to share their favorities?

― j c (j c), Sunday, 14 May 2006 11:48 (nineteen years ago)

I like Ethan Mordden.

― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Sunday, 14 May 2006 12:38 (nineteen years ago)

i like Gary Indiana - especially "Resentment".

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0704380927/qid=1147614410/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-0266867-0472660

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 14 May 2006 12:47 (nineteen years ago)

David Feinberg's "Eighty-Sixed" is probably my favorite GBLT novel. It is interesting to read Louise Fitzhugh's "Harriet the Spy" through the GBLT filter (and it's a fantastic book anyways). Alison Bechdel's long-running comic "Dykes To Watch Out For" is pretty nice (and she has some new biographical comic book out involving her father, who was secretly gay, and which Douglas recommends). George Herriman's "Krazy Kat" is, of course, the finest queer comic strip. Gertrude Stein's "Tender Buttons" is very oblique prose poetry that seems to wander around sex and love, as do a few other of her books.

I dunno, when I was a teen I read a fair amount of GBLT lit but much of it was vaguely interchangeable. In particular I'd avoid any coming out stories.

― ¯\(º_o)/¯ (Chris Piuma), Sunday, 14 May 2006 18:42 (nineteen years ago)

If you like things that are a bit light-hearted, there is always Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown and of course Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series. I just finished reading a book with gay/bi characters in it - How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater by Mark Acito and it was very fun reading. I've always liked the poems of Audre Lorde and also Adrienne Rich as well.

― Sara Robinson-Coolidge (Sara R-C), Sunday, 14 May 2006 21:27 (nineteen years ago)

By the way, a certain amount of modern sci-fi includes (or even focuses on) GLBT characters as a matter of course even though in classifying the books the sci-fi part usually trumps the other kind of "other". I like Melissa Scott's Trouble and Her Friends even though it's pretty outdated as cyberpunk now, and Ammonite by Nicola Griffith. I'm sure I'm missing/forgetting lots more.

― Laurel (Laurel), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:11 (nineteen years ago)

OMG I totally forgot Delany. Dahlgren, or any of his biographical stuff. Maybe wait until you're hooked before you try the porn novels.

― ¯\(º_o)/¯ (Chris Piuma), Monday, 15 May 2006 18:41 (nineteen years ago)

Armistead Maupin tops the Guardian's Big Gay Read poll. I'm glad to see Rita Mae Brown on there. Bingo is a favorite of mine.

― Jaq (Jaq), Monday, 15 May 2006 22:41 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, that list reminds me that I have The Long Firm somewhere but it's BLEEEEEEEEAK and I don't think I ever finished.

― Laurel (Laurel), Monday, 15 May 2006 22:45 (nineteen years ago)

i thought about mentioning delany and then thought i'd leave it to his other fans here - joanna russ's the female man, maybe, as ground-breaking here? - not that i've finished it ever. i dunno, do the sexualised aliens in say octavia butler's trilogy or the third sex in the ian macdonald that was up for the hugo last year - do they fall under this category, or is it something different?

― tom west (thomp), Tuesday, 16 May 2006 00:20 (nineteen years ago)

The Female Man is so good, so smart. Depending on your taste, you might like Dennis Cooper. If you have Sonic Youth's Goo you can read a sample of his work inside the cover.

― Hemoglobin Hummingbird (HemoHum), Friday, 19 May 2006 22:47 (nineteen years ago)

the phrase "GBLT" makes me think of sandwiches

does sonic youth's sister have anything interesting to contribute to the discussion of philip dick? or uh not.

― tom west (thomp), Saturday, 20 May 2006 23:07 (nineteen years ago)

The phrase "BLT" makes me think of queer stuff. You need to have more gay sexing.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 21 May 2006 01:21 (nineteen years ago)

alan hollinghurst - the folding star
harlan greene - why we never danced the charleston

― and what (ooo), Sunday, 21 May 2006 04:13 (nineteen years ago)

GLBTTTSQ WOULD BE BETTER DAMMIT, ALSO MACHO SLUTS

― anthony easton (anthony), Sunday, 21 May 2006 05:47 (nineteen years ago)

The whole point of the T is that it covers all those Ts.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Sunday, 21 May 2006 06:09 (nineteen years ago)

well not two spirited, does it?

― anthony easton (anthony), Sunday, 21 May 2006 21:06 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Hollinghurst's Line of Beauty
Eugenides' Middlesex
Stace's Misfortune
Ball's Peninsula of Lies is an interesting non-fiction read

Here's some interesting lists that I stumbled across:

The Publishing Triangle 100 List
Gay & Lesbian Reading GROUND (lots of interesting stuff)

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Friday, 7 July 2006 18:20 (nineteen years ago)

"GROUND" was supposed to be "Group".

GRRRRRR.

My fault for syringe-feeding while typing.

― I'm Passing Open Windows (Ms Laura), Friday, 7 July 2006 18:22 (nineteen years ago)

jc, maybe try audre lorde's 'zami' for a relevant contrast to baldwin?

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 7 July 2006 19:20 (nineteen years ago)

This is where I point out that the new Bechdel book, "Fun House", is completely fantastic.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 7 July 2006 23:18 (nineteen years ago)

so is the new bechdel book "fun home"!

― tom west (thomp), Saturday, 8 July 2006 00:22 (nineteen years ago)

Dammit. Overcorrection. Also, I have already lent the book out. It is being widely loved.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Saturday, 8 July 2006 07:19 (nineteen years ago)

well, i was raised by pedants, and i lay much the same stress on that as someone else might on "raised by wolves"

― tom west (thomp), Saturday, 8 July 2006 07:47 (nineteen years ago)

I'm all for friendly pedantry.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Saturday, 8 July 2006 08:25 (nineteen years ago)

She read here yesterday, but I couldn't make it.

― Jordan (Jordan), Saturday, 8 July 2006 13:55 (nineteen years ago)

speaking of lesbian comix, has "hothead paisan" ever been collected into any sort of anthology?

― joseph (joseph), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 03:06 (nineteen years ago)

yes

― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Tuesday, 11 July 2006 04:45 (nineteen years ago)

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