NEW YORK — Andrew Sean Greer, a renowned novelist who earned the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2018 with his book “Less,” recalls the profound impact of reading Edmund White for the first time. It was the summer of 1989, at the outset of his second year at Brown University, shortly after he had come out.
Eager to read the work of an author who would soon be teaching at Brown, Greer picked up a copy of White’s acclaimed coming-of-age novel, “A Boy’s Own Story.”
“I’d never encountered anything like it before – nobody had,” reflects Greer. “Looking back, what stands out to me is the absence of shame or self-hatred or misery that filled many other gay-themed works of that era.” Despite not initially realizing he was reading a significant piece of literature, he felt a strong desire to continue reading. “Books were our only exploration tool back then, allowing us to discover and understand our private lives,” Greer said. “Ed created a pathway for so many of us.”
White, a trailblazer of modern gay literature, passed away this week at the age of 85. His repertoire includes esteemed works like “A Boy’s Own Story” and “The Beautiful Room Is Empty.” Through his literature, he gifted many younger writers the validation of their identities and the opportunity to find themselves through the voices of others.
Fellow writers regard White’s creation as more than mere inspiration—it’s a journey of self-discovery. Robert Jones Jr., whose novel “The Prophets” explores love between two enslaved men and became a National Book Award finalist in 2021, describes White’s work as questioning deeply entrenched beliefs about desire, love, and sex.
Jones, too, reminisces about first encountering “A Boy’s Own Story” as a teenager in the 1980s. Discovering the book in a store located in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village—a renowned safe haven where individuals could freely embrace their identities—left a lasting impression.
“It was a terrifying period because AIDS dominated the narrative around queer men, viewed as a divine punishment,” Jones recalls. “Reading the book was the first reassurance that queer men possessed childhoods; it reminded me that my desires were not unnatural.” It urged him to recognize that his struggles stemmed from societal bigotry, not divine retribution, which could be challenged with support and courage.
Starting in the 1970s, White penned over 25 works, including novels, memoirs, plays, biographies, and even “The Joy of Gay Sex,” an open response to the era’s popular “The Joy of Sex.” Celebrating his stature, the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, bestowed by the Publishing Triangle, honors promising new writers.
“White provided immense encouragement to budding authors, urging them to craft unique narratives,” said Carol Rosenfeld, the Triangle’s chair. The creation of the award was “a tribute to that encouragement.”
Since its inception in 2006, the award has recognized authors such as Robert Jones Jr. for “The Prophets,” Myriam Gurba for “Dahlia Season,” and Joe Okonkwo for “Jazz Moon.” Earlier this year, Jiaming Tang secured the award for “Cinema Love,” a tale of gay men in rural China.
Reflecting on his journey, Tang recalls discovering “A Boy’s Own Story” in his early 20s. Both the book and White himself played pivotal roles in Tang’s coming out experience. “White writes with remarkable detail and wit. No writer captures the excitement and solitude that accompany the queer experience as White does,” Tang expressed. “His legacy in American gay literature is unparalleled; he laid the foundation for those who followed.”