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Product Description
Justin Cartwright, Independent on Sunday
‘Remarkable … among the most heartbreaking accounts of family life I have ever read … astonishing and wonderfully well-written’
Review
'Remarkable ... among the most heartbreaking accounts of family life I have ever read ... This is an astonishing and wonderfully well-written biography' Justin Cartwright, Independent on Sunday 'This is White's best book ... If his autobiographical novels were a blueprint of his memory, this book is its to-scale model' Independent 'A vital and engrossing book ... His account of himself is clear, humorous, never coy. He knows that his "painful honesty" is the source of his humour. And we feel strongly, at the end of this remarkable book, that it is more than that: it is the source of everything, however artful and luscious, that he has ever written' Alan Hollinghurst, Guardian 'He is such a good writer he deserves to be read by everyone' Sunday Telegraph
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Unadventurous booksellers often place Edmund White's work in the "gay" section of their stores, which is a pity as White is today one of the most skilled writers of English prose. My Lives, which is structured simply around ten long chapters entitled "My Europe", "My friends", "My Mother" and so on, contains a wonderful series of glimpses into a life lived in appreciation of diversity in art, culture and society in general.
White is by turns humourous, knowledgable and intellectually self effacing. He presents in an accesible manner ideas on psychology and sexuality which more academic but less skilled writers cannot convey to a general readership. His Mid- American take on Europe is fascinating for its freshness of approach, its openness and affection. His description of John, a theatrical friend from the eighties is worth buying the book for.
White is also good on the Mother/son relationship, gay life in Mid America and French Society life.
The key to this "autobiography" is that reading it would be enjoyable even without a grain of interest in Edmund White himself. It is just a wonderfully enjoyable view on one man's life- in this case a life lived as a gay man-although White is excellent on his relationships with women- some of which were consummated.
Straight or Gay at the end of this you will wish you knew Edmund White for the sheer beauty of his prose.
White is by turns humourous, knowledgable and intellectually self effacing. He presents in an accesible manner ideas on psychology and sexuality which more academic but less skilled writers cannot convey to a general readership. His Mid- American take on Europe is fascinating for its freshness of approach, its openness and affection. His description of John, a theatrical friend from the eighties is worth buying the book for.
White is also good on the Mother/son relationship, gay life in Mid America and French Society life.
The key to this "autobiography" is that reading it would be enjoyable even without a grain of interest in Edmund White himself. It is just a wonderfully enjoyable view on one man's life- in this case a life lived as a gay man-although White is excellent on his relationships with women- some of which were consummated.
Straight or Gay at the end of this you will wish you knew Edmund White for the sheer beauty of his prose.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For over thirty years, Edmund White has written some of the most insightful fiction and non-fiction about American life. He's successfully blended autobiography and the novel to capture the startling ideological and political changes of the country. The scope of his books range from a time when homosexuality was branded a psychological disease to recent strong campaigns to legalize gay marriage. The vivid experiences he's written about are artistically shaped to allow the reader to see things from an entirely new perspective while also finding common emotional ground. This memoir allows us access to White's own true experiences for the first time. After rewriting his life so thoroughly in his popular novels A Boy's Own Story, The Beautiful Room is Empty, The Farewell Symphony and The Married Man, one would assume there would be nothing left to tell. But, in fact, White has led such a rich and varied life that there are numerous important moments which haven't yet been committed to paper. My Lives allows us intimate access to the real man while still providing thoughtful commentary on affairs beyond his own experience.
Rather than write a straightforward account of his life, White has organized his memoir in sections about particular aspects of his experience such as My Shrinks, My Hustlers, My Friends, etc. At times in this book his pithy summation of a period of American life can be startlingly insightful. In other parts, the intimate details he reveals about his life are so shocking that White humorously guesses at some people's reactions: "'Must we have every detail about these tiresome senile shenanigans?'" However, White's probing exploration of his past has much more value beyond mere gossip. This book is not the great elder artist, purveyor of gay literature and international lover boasting. Rather, he reveals that he is still a fragile and tender individual who is prone to despair, hopeless infatuation and self-doubt. Bravely and with his usual beautifully crafted prose, the author proves that there is still so much more to tell.
If you are a fan of White's fiction and are looking for insight into his real life, this book is a treasure filled with sumptuous and enlightening details. And if you haven't read anything by White before, this memoir makes a great jumping off point.
Rather than write a straightforward account of his life, White has organized his memoir in sections about particular aspects of his experience such as My Shrinks, My Hustlers, My Friends, etc. At times in this book his pithy summation of a period of American life can be startlingly insightful. In other parts, the intimate details he reveals about his life are so shocking that White humorously guesses at some people's reactions: "'Must we have every detail about these tiresome senile shenanigans?'" However, White's probing exploration of his past has much more value beyond mere gossip. This book is not the great elder artist, purveyor of gay literature and international lover boasting. Rather, he reveals that he is still a fragile and tender individual who is prone to despair, hopeless infatuation and self-doubt. Bravely and with his usual beautifully crafted prose, the author proves that there is still so much more to tell.
If you are a fan of White's fiction and are looking for insight into his real life, this book is a treasure filled with sumptuous and enlightening details. And if you haven't read anything by White before, this memoir makes a great jumping off point.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Edmund White at his best: witty, insightful and truthful about the lives of gay men and their anguish, pain and shame. Lovely connections with the literary world of course but also its own link with the world of suffering, excess and love unrequited. So easy to be straight but if you want to discover the paralle world next door read this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Live and uncensored
In many ways a good companion piece to White's 'City Boy', 'My Lives' is somehow a more satisfying read. Read more
Published 6 months ago by E. Granter
Extraordinary autobiography
White's autobiography of Jean Genet was extraordinary and it seems that White has decided to expose his own life, here in "My Lives", with as much honesty and candour as he did... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Skylark
his extraordinary lives
I absolutely love Edmund White's books, and this is one of my favourites. It is a very original autobiography, arranged by themes and not chronologically as usual. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2008 by bagoas
Deeply dispiriting
White's Boy's Own Story was a defining read of my early adult life and The Married Man remains one of the most important and beautifully written novels I have read. Read more
Published on 5 July 2007 by Tony Jackson
White Mischief
Edmund White has/is living a rich life. A Life that may or may not be rich in the monetary sense (though this changes throughout his life) but in the sense of being rich with the... Read more
Published on 6 Dec 2006 by MICHAEL ACUNA
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