Best American Gay Fiction (The Best American Gay Fiction Series, 1)

From Amazon.com: Following the success of last year's debut volume, this Best American Gay Fiction collection broadens the range of contributors, styles, and genres. Here is outstanding new work by such well-known writers as Andrew Holleran, Dale Peck, Michael Nava, and David Wojnarowicz alongside fresh talents who capture the full spectrum of gay life today -- African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. The impressive writing presented here -- all drawn from works published in 1996 -- reflects this diversity as well, and ranges from coming-of-age narratives to reflections on growing older, from edgy 'zine fiction to elegant tales wrought with lapidary precision. Unified only by their excellence, these twenty-one selections are resounding proof of yet another banner year for gay fiction.

following The Success Of Last Year's Debut Volume, This Best American Gay Fiction Collection Broadens The Range Of Contributors, Styles, And Genres. Here Is Outstanding New Work By Such Well-known Writers As Andrew Holleran, Dale Peck, Michael Nava, And David Wojnarowicz Alongside Fresh Talents Who Capture The Full Spectrum Of Gay Life Today — African Americans, Latinos, And Asian Americans. The Impressive Writing Presented Here — All Drawn From Works Published In 1996 — Reflects This Diversity As Well, And Ranges From Coming-of-age Narratives To Reflections On Growing Older, From Edgy 'zine Fiction To Elegant Tales Wrought With Lapidary Precision.

unified Only By Their Excellence, These Twenty-one Selections Are Resounding Proof Of Yet Another Banner Year For Gay Fiction.

library Journal

over The Last Decade Production Of Gay Fiction Collections, Both One-shots And Annuals, Has Accelerated. This Latest Entry Sets Itself Apart Through A Titular Claim To Contain Only The Highest-quality Short Stories And Novel Excerpts From The Previous Year. More Specifically, Of The 21 Pieces Just Under Half Are Drawn From Periodicals And Just Over Half Are Excised From Books, Either Novels Or Other Anthologies. Several Credible Choices Stand Out, Including Adam Klein's The Medicine Burns And Bernard Cooper's Arson. Though Others Are Less To This Reviewer's Liking, Most Anthology Readers Expect Variation, And Because Editor Bouldrey Has Based His Selections Purely On His Personal Taste Such Criticism Seems Pointless. Bouldrey (genius Of Desire, Ballantine, 1993) Begins His Introduction With A Conversational Riff On The Pleasures Of Reading And Putting Together An Anthology. But His Later Attempts To Analyze Individual Stories And Gay Writing Generally Are Superficial And Strained. While There Is Nothing Especially Wrong With This Book, Neither Is There Anything Especially Right, And Its Claim To Contain The Best Is Not Particularly Credible. Libraries Will Be Better Served With The Outstanding New His (lj 9/1/95) And The Venerable Men On Men 5 (lj 8/94), Both Of Which Are Parts Of Ongoing Series.eric Bryant, Library Journal

Since the Stonewall riots and the emergence of a vibrant, public homosexual culture, gay male fiction has been gradually coming out of the shadows and Brian Bouldrey's series Best American Gay Fiction is a fine barometer of its current state. These 21 pieces--ranging from excerpts of recently published novels to original short stories to fictionalized memoir--reflect the emotional and literary diversity of gay writing today. Bouldrey has chosen work by the already famous such as Andrew Holleran and Dale Peck, cult writers such as Kevin Killian, and up-and-coming authors such as Kolin M. Ohi and Tom House. HE TAKES A LOCKER when he gets to the baths - after driving faster than usual to put sixty miles between himself and Becker quickly - though he knows this disappoints; mature men, he suspects, are expected to bring money - take a room - while the young need merely a five-dollar locker, their beauty being their contribution. Drawn from both mainstream and alternative magazines magazines and from published novels, an anthology of the best gay fiction from 1995 ranges from the experimental to the traditional and features such authors as Edmund White, Bernard Cooper, and Michael Cunningham The writing collected here, culled from mainstream and alternative publications released in 1997, ranges from historical fiction to erotica, from high comedy to suspense, from the experimental to the documentary.