Contemporary Gay American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook

Though wary of canon-formation in this groundbreaking work, editor Nelson has selected fifty-seven gay American fiction writers whose works have received critical acclaim. Writers and their works are examined in the gay literary context and a majority of the contributing essayists are themselves gay male scholars and writers, who bring with them a level of personal and political sensitivity that is generally lacking in assessments of this literature. Each entry begins with biographical information, proceeds to an interpretive summary of major works, provides an overview of critical reception, and concludes with bibliographies of primary and secondary materials. In a lively and perceptive introductory essay, Bredbeck inquires into what we mean by "gay literature" and the inherent tensions in these terms.